#there's something about the angle the stance and how quick the shot is

[ladicsa]

i'm sorry this quick shot to stefan standing on the cliff is so fucking funny

[thewayshedreamed]

Congrats on the milestone!!! I was wondering if you could write a combination of the prompts 2 (“c’mere, you can sit on my lap until i’m done working.”) and 21 ( “i’m bored. come over and sit on my dick.”) from the smutty prompts for Nessian. Thank you and congrats again <3

Thank you for the prompt and the love, nonnie! I'm not going to lie, I shamelessly abandoned my word count limit for this one. I have no excuse other than I got carried away.

Hope you enjoy! This one's for you, lovely! (and everyone who enjoys a bit of Nessian smut. Except those of you in the gc. Y'all know who you are and why).

—

Nesta hated when Cassian's work ran late, especially when she hadn't seen him in days. She was temporarily placated by their active text exchange that afternoon, complete with work grumblings, friend gossip, and inside jokes. Cassian was her best friend and boyfriend all rolled into one deliciously built package.

His millionth text of the day interrupted her thoughts.

I'm bored.

I'm sorry, she replied. Me too. And I miss you.

Cassian: Miss you too, Sweetheart.

Nesta considered that. He must not have gathered her true meaning given the tone of his reply, but she supposed it was difficult to convey via text. What she meant was that she missed his callouses scraping over her skin, the heat of his kisses against her neck, his weight cradled between her thighs. They were several days overdue.

She typed a quick response to drive her point home. No, babe. I miss you, miss you.

The ellipsis pulsed, disappeared, and pulsed again. Nesta bit her lip to contain her smile. It seemed her boyfriend was on the same page.

Oh? he sent back. Then, almost immediately after, Come over and sit on my dick.

Nesta barked a laugh. Cassian wasn't shy in any capacity, especially in matters of sex, but his text was blunt even by his standards. She would be lying if she claimed it didn't make her core clench in anticipation.

I can't believe that worked, she admitted. Give me 20 minutes.

—

Cassian's door was unlocked when she arrived. Nesta was usually grateful that he worked from home considering the flexibility it offered, but she didn't particularly love how it interfered with her plans for the evening. He was seated at the dining table with his laptop in front of him, sitting on what sounded like a conference call and finishing up whatever data entry he needed to finish.

None of it was conducive to their arrangement.

He mouthed "sorry" over the screen of his computer, shooting her a wink for good measure. Nesta had already considered a number of possibilities on her way over, and the small gesture alone had her skin erupting in goose flesh. She tugged at the hem of her skirt and struggled to get situated on the couch nearby. Comfort seemed a distant goal when every movement she made riled her more.

A true test of her self-control came at hearing Cassian sign off of his call for the day, especially when every muscle in her body was poised to spring off the couch on a moment's notice. Rather than orient directly to her, his focus remained on the screen of his computer. His brows were furrowed in concentration, negating any possibility that he meant to antagonize her.

"You know," she challenged, "I didn't come over here to watch you work the whole time."

He glanced at her through his side eye, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah? What did you come over for, Sweetheart?"

Nesta's cheeks burned, but she squared her shoulders. "You'll have to refer back to our texts. It's not my job to remember your promises."

Cassian huffed a laugh and groaned as he leaned back in his chair. With his fingers laced, he reached his hands toward the ceiling in a long stretch. Nesta could see the impressive length tightening his pants, and her mouth went dry. At least she wasn't the only one affected.

He caught her in admiration and shot her a lazy smile. Her eyes trailed the handsome edges of his face, his broad chest.

"C'mere," he rasped. "You can sit on my lap until I'm done working."

His hand reached down to adjust himself, and he hissed against the contact. Nesta felt less self-conscious about her growing need to cross her legs to relieve some of the tension. Her voice was low, sultry.

"I didn't come over to sit on your lap either, Cassian."

His gaze darkened, his hand sliding beneath the waistband of his pants. "Then get over here and do as I told you."

A shiver ran down her spine. She sat transfixed by the movement of his hand and how he finally freed himself from his pants. Every part of her burned to touch him. The command in his voice had been her undoing; all good sense, gone. Her legs shook through her journey to close the space between them, but he didn't seem to notice.

Cassian groaned his approval as she straddled his lap, his large hand moving in a long stroke up and down his length. Nesta's position allowed him full access beneath her skirt, and he cursed under his breath when he realized she wore nothing underneath. Their lips crashed together, Nesta's hands poised against his shoulders. Cassian wrapped his arm around her waist to lift her over his cock and allowed gravity alone to ease her down until her hips sat flush against his.

Nesta moaned, desperate for friction. Her hips canted automatically until Cassian's rough voice and strong hands stopped her in her tracks.

He tutted his disapproval. "I never said you could move, Sweetheart. I still have work to finish."

"Cass," she whined, unashamed of her arousal. "Please."

"I'll take care of you, I promise." He pressed a kiss behind her ear, reaching behind her to resume his work. "For now, keep things warm for me, baby."

Nesta whimpered and gripped his shoulders. How could he ask that of her? Another couple of minutes, and her hips would be rolling whether she offered them permission or not. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the sound of the keys working behind her.

But then she was thinking about his deft fingers, how they wrought pleasure from her in immeasurable ways. How his hands always knew where she needed firm pressure of a delicate, teasing touch to—

"Nesta," Cassian warned, his voice hoarse. "What did I tell you about moving?"

He nipped her ear in warning. She forced her hips to settle, silently cursing them for their betrayal. The last thing she needed was Cassian holding out on her any longer.

"Sorry," she gritted out, "I'm— I don't know." Her mind was all over the place, reduced to some primitive by the need between her legs.

He made no moves to remove her from his cock, and she breathed a sigh of relief. His fingers resumed their work, but they would no longer serve to distract her in the process. She needed to think of something less promising, but she came up empty any time she tried.

Cassian added insult to injury, running his nose up and down the length of her neck. Nesta opened up for him, careful not to move her lower body in the process for fear that he would pull away. His lips left a path of soft kisses where his nose had left fire in its wake, and Nesta was a single kiss away from snapping altogether.

"Fuck," he rasped. Her hold tightened on him at the sound of his voice. There wasn't a thing about the man that didn't affect her. "Nesta, you're—" He paused to gather his wits, buried his forehead against her neck. "You're dripping."

To her horror, she realized he was right. Her arousal coated her inner thighs and the skin just above where their bodies came together. She was making an all out mess in her boyfriend's lap, and he had yet to move.

Nesta moaned, tilting her head back to encourage his affections against her neck. "Please hurry," she breathed. "I've done what you asked. Please."

Cassian growled against her skin. How he always reduced her to a begging, pleading mess was beyond her. There wasn't another aspect of her life where she resorted to it, but for him, she would do it shamelessly.

He placed another path of kisses, rougher this time, down the side of her neck and over her collarbones. When he refocused his attention on his work, Nesta let her forehead hit his broad shoulder. Her fingers were white-knuckled against him as she fought her most base urges.

Blessedly, she heard some clicking of the trackpad behind her. In another number of seconds, Cassian stood to lay her roughly atop the table. His hands explored her body, gripping her possessively in all the right places until she was a writhing mess, his order be damned.

"So eager." He moved to grip her wrists in his hand, pinning them over her head. The other gripped her thigh at his side. "Go on, then. Fuck me, Nesta."

She didn't need to be told twice. Her hips rolled against him, taking him deeper than before. Her feet pressed into the strong muscles of his ass in encouragement, but he remained still while he watched their bodies come together. Nesta couldn't think beyond his name rolling from her lips and how badly she needed more, more, more. Before she could say as much, Cassian's restraint snapped.

He widened his stance, spreading her legs farther apart and changing their angle. His hand left her thigh in favor of pressing a supportive arch to the small of her back, his hips snapping roughly into hers.

They dissolved into a symphony of muttered curses and groans. Nesta cried out her pleasure when her release barreled through her, earning a string of praise from Cassian.

"That's it. You're so tight around my cock, Sweetheart," he murmured, his breath leaving him in huffs with each punishing thrust. His eyes snapped up to hers, and she fought to keep her heavy lids open for him. His brow was drawn together in pleasure, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. Fighting his release was wearing on him, and Nesta could tell he wouldn't be far behind her.

"Gods," he ground out. "You were so good for me, baby. You know that?"

His thrusts came faster, and Nesta cried out. Another world-shattering orgasm was close, so close, when she hadn't thought it possible so soon. Cassian noticed when her pleasure ratcheted up once more, and a look of determination crossed his handsome face. He slid his hand from her back, and pressed it to her lower abdomen, using his thumb to draw broad circles around her clit.

Her hands fought against his grip, but to no avail. She wanted to touch him, to drag her hands all over his body and run them through his hair. More than that, she thought she would need to secure her body against his to ride out another wave of pleasure like the one before.

"Pleasedon'tstop," she muttered, her eyes screwed shut.

"I won't," he promised, his hips pressing into hers and making her dizzy. "Not until that pretty pussy comes for me again."

It took only seconds for Cassian to get his wish. Nesta's cries echoed off the walls of his small apartment, her body shaking through the aftershocks of her release. His hips slammed home when he met his own, his large frame leaning over her body as he spilled inside her.

Once he released her hands, Nesta moved them to his shoulders to draw idle patterns over his skin. Cassian lifted his head to press a kiss to her mouth before separating them and standing to right their clothes. They surveyed the area, how his work was scattered about and his cup of water lay spilled over the floor nearby, and broke out into laughter.

"What am I going to do with you?" he teased, pulling her against his chest in a hug.

Nesta hummed, her first thought sliding past her lips. "Love me."

Cassian placed a kiss to her hair. "Yeah," he murmured. "I will."

[knpjpr]

fucked up. | jjk sm au

⇆series: #fake

⇆main ship: gamer!jungkook x student!reader

⇆genre: angst, angst, and angst and then some fluff

⇆word count: 4.5K (unedited)

⇆warnings: theres cussing, unprotected sex, (wrap it up smh.) riding, dirty talk, tension between yn and jungkook, slut shaming, taehyung x lou ;), taejoon friendship confirmed, jimin and yoongi fight, jungkook and yn fight, everyone is messy tbh

⇆ a/n: if you'd like to be added to the taglist, send me an ask + time stamps are in this part for a reason

Yn ; October 31th | 11:21 pm

The minute you and Lou are entering the house, everything is in full swing. People scattered all around, some at the bar table filling their cups with whatever type of booze they could, others dancing, playing beer pong, and much more that you knew Jin would throw a fit about later.

Lou is parting ways with you, automatically walking her way to the booze table and pushing some guy you’ve never seen over as you make yourself home to a space on the couch. Lou looked pretty, just like your dark angel costume, she’d placed herself in a white version, the curve of her body showing nicely. She was indeed a pretty angel.

Taehyung is the second person who you see tonight, walking up to you with the same smile you’ve known since fifth grade. “Care if I join you?” He’s noticeably a vampire, the corners of his mouth leaked with fake blood as his red contacts contrast with the costume.

“Sure, Lou went and ditched me… as usual.”

He’s laughing, the only sound that made you feel comfortable in this crowded house full of people you’ve seen but never made the time to get to know. The two of you had finally been able to talk after a long time and it was nice. You and Taehyung were good friends and you hoped it stayed that way.

“I like your costume.” He says, taking a quick glance over at your outfit, but deciding that if he looked any further it would make you uncomfortable.

You’re smiling at him this time, settling into the party as your side tucks into his. “You want something to drink?” Nodding slowly, Taehyung is standing up and walking towards the bar table.

It had been a few minutes of you sitting there when you decided to walk around the place. Loud music with people’s chatter to overlap with it. You easily are swinging past bodies, trying to find Taehyung’s figure who wasn’t at the bar table any more. It wasn’t until you feel a hand on your shoulder when you are close by the backyard sliding doors that you stop. “Hey.”

You turn and there Jungkook is, red solo cup in hand, and a smile placed on his face as your heart pounds. He looks hot, black hood over his head with clown makeup decorating his face, his jeans ripped like always. His costume was simple, but even so, still made your heart race.

He had been waiting to see you all night, got here early due to Namjoon’s request to get out the house and help, and so seeing you here made his heart happy, made him happy.

He’s taking a long glance down your body, swallowing hard when he notices that you aren't wearing alot to cover your figure, parts of your body like your cleavage and thighs on full display to him. “Like what you see?” You tease as he frowns down at you, which has you laughing, unintentionally placing your hand on his chest.

His gaze softens the minute your touch is all he feels. “Why don’t we go somewhere quieter?” He asks, watching as you move closer to him every time someone pushes past you. “Sure, follow me.” You say as you slip your hand into his and start leading him past others, not noticing the blush that rises on your cheeks.

Namjoon ; October 31th | 11:37 pm

Namjoon was a tall.. a little too tall handsome guy, to which he had found out by the longing glances he would get from girls and even so guys. This was not his usual thing, never had himself at a party so he was determined to find someone he knew and hang with them for the majority of the night.

Slipping past a few people, he’s coming into sight of Taehyung, choppy brown hair displaying in messy waves as a red solo cup had been accompanying him for the night. Namjoon is walking up to him, dimples on full display, which has Taehyung splitting his gaze from something to him in an instant. “Yo dude, like your costume.”

Namjoon did not plan to go all out for this simple halloween party, and seeing as Jin told him that it was a costume party, he opted to dress up as his future career. He wore a bright orange nasa jumpsuit, one that his mom bought him per his request. He wanted to be an astronaut and sure hell this kid could do it.

“Thanks.” Namjoon takes a seat beside Taehyung, finally realizing that his attention wasn’t on the 5’11 tall ass guy seated next to him, but rather on a shorter girl who’s doe eyes were scanning around the kitchen.

Namjoon recognized her almost instantly, didn't even have to question it by the way Taehyung is sighing hard. “When has she looked that pretty, and why am I just realizing this.” He blurts, Namjoon not knowing if he’s talking to him or to the air that this party didn’t have enough of.

“Why don’t you talk to her?” Taehyung cocks his head in Namjoons direction, an unrecognizable look on his face. He had been watching her the minute he assumed you found Jungkook, his gaze not being able to falter at all from her direction.

“I don’t know man, I don’t want to fuck up our friendship.” Taehyung admits, he didn’t know whatever the feeling that he felt right now was. But he did know if he were to explore it, he could possibly fuck it all up.

“Well, you never know. That’s why they are called “leaps of faith,” namjoon shifts in his spot on the couch, watching as the girl they had been looking at is startly approached by another figure. “You never know. If you don’t go, others will.”

Taehyung doesn’t need to be told twice, getting up from his seat the minute the girl’s face crinkles in uncomfortableness at the other unknown guy. Taehyung didn’t know what would come out of him and Lou, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t ignore how he felt at that moment.

Jimin ; November 1st | 12:03 pm

If there was one thing Jimin knew, it was that costumes at Halloween parties are not mandatory. He very much disliked dressing up in some tacky costume, like a couple who had just walked past him as a firefighter and a dalmation. Fucking lame.

Instead, Jimin dressed hot, dressed in clothes that he wore all the time, but for Yoongi, it made his heart pound and Jimin knew that. Could tell all just by the way Yoongi would take long glances the whole ride to Jin’s and would constantly suck in air the minute Jimin is softly brushing against him.

Jimin had been seated on one of the bar stools in the den of Jin’s house, carefully watching as Jin and Yoongi go at it in a round of beer pong. Yoongi was losing terribly, his attention too intertwined with the blonde that was sitting comfortably behind him.

Jin’s turn was next, only had three more cups to go before Yoongi was completely plastered, which meant that Jimin would have to drive them home. Yoongi was already starting to become drunk, the smell of booze making Jimin’s nose crinkle in a cringe. Drinking was overrated.

Jin takes one of the balls in his hands, angling his hand as he squints before chucking the ball, the sound of a plastic ball hitting liquid making Yoongi groan. “F-fuck man.” Yoongi grunts, slipping the ball out of the cup before tipping the cup up to his lips and chugging the rest of its contents.

Jimin watched with distaste, Jin smirking widely before waiting for Yoongi to try his shot with the remaining eight cups left on Jin’s side. “Man, I think it’s far to see I've won.” Jin says taunting but Yoongi glares hard at the older male. “You, you shut your big lip ass up. I can do it just fine you f-fucker.”

Yoongi reaches his hand down into the small basket full of ping pong balls, grabbing the plastic orb and trying to copy Jin’s movements, but failed with a drunken stance, the ping pong ball bouncing off the table and onto the floor.

“S-shit.” He groans, Jin smirking as Jimin rolls his eyes. There was no way that Yoongi was going to win and it was starting to annoy Jimin because he was sitting here watching him just drink and drink.

Soon enough Yoongi was sipping down his last drink, proving ultimately that Jin won fair and square. “Damn dude, usually you beat me. Must be my lucky day.” Jin laughs out and Jimin slips off from the bar stool. “I’m going to go get me some water.”

Yoongi being completely plastered was a bad thing. Not only was he extremely clumsy but he was ill-tempered and acted rash and right on the spot. So the minute he’s coming to the conclusion Jimin’s leaving him behind, he’s turning fast and accidentally spilling the remainder of booze on Jimin’s clothes.

“Fuck! Baby I didn’t mean to.” Yoongi says, not paying attention to the looks people are starting to give the minute they realize what just left his mouth.

Jimin didn’t care about his clothes, but what he did care about was Yoongi just outting them out. Outting him out. Yoongi had been trying to wipe away the stain with his hand, not even understanding that wasn’t how it worked.

Jimin slapped his hand away, Yoongi’s face forming into a frown as he realized Jimin was pissed. “Don’t fucking touch me.” Yoongi finally realized around him that people were watching, looking back at Jimin.

And here came the ill-temper that Yoongi had when drunk.

“Are you fucking embarrassed of us? What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Yn ; October 31th | 11:42 pm

You had found no one occupying Jin’s guest room, slowly leading Jungkook inside and locking it so no one could come busting inside and interrupting the two of you. Which was usually drunks and or people looking for places to fuck.

Jungkook sat on the end of the bed, his usual man spreading pose coming into your line of sight. It makes you blush, having to stop yourself from being anymore of a fool that you could possibly be.

“Hey, you can come sit too.” Patting with persistence you’re sitting down with a slight giggle that has Jungkook smiling back at you. He had noticed the blush that placed your cheeks, his starting to burn.

“You’re blushing.” You blurt out, that has Jungkook flinching as a slightly irritated look was on his face. “You’re the one who’s blushing.” He says, eyebrows furrowed as you look away from, trying to cool down your face.

“It’s because of you,” he speaks out, his straightforwardness never faulting in his personality. You turn your head to face him, face bright red with doe eyes piercing his gaze. “It’s because of you that is making me blush.”

At this moment your heart is beating fast, his body shifting closer to yours as you swallow hard. Jungkook has always been clear cut, always knew what he wanted, but when you came along, his dynamic changed. He wanted you, and he wanted to prove it.

“Tell me if you don’t want to.” That’s all he says as he waits for your response. Your heart almost about to burst out of your chest. You wanted this, for him to kiss you again and to be wrapped up in just him. “Go ahead..”

That is all you had to say before his lips are in the space of yours, hearts beating at the same pace together. His hand slowly creeped up and intermingled with yours. Your stomach filled with butterflies, his warmth and smell surrounding your senses.

The next thing you knew, you were spread out on the sheets of Jin’s guest room, Jungkook’s flushed face and deep breaths as he doesn’t know what he wants to do first. “I don’t have a condom.” He says, because obviously he didn’t think he would be over your naked body like this, about to fuck you like this.

Your response is filled with shyness, the fact you’ve never let someone look at you like this, and because he didn't know he looked so adorable at this moment. Hair standing up every which way, eyes hooded, and cheeks pink. “You can continue..”

“Is this your first time?" He asks as though that should be the response to what was about to happen. You can't help the giggle that tumbles from your lips, gesturing along to his slightly shocked face. "Yeah, it is." 

He's coming over to you, looking you in the eyes as you slightly bite a hold on your lip. "Ah, uhm okay. I’ll be gentle, just tell me if anything is hurting." He talks distractedly as he investigates your body and you can't tell if he’s nervous or just doesn't know what he’s doing.

Whenever he's settled on his decision, he's moving to lay over you once more, your legs spread out towards him. Going to press another kiss to your mouth, however you're halting him before your lips are contacting. "You can chill too, you know? I don’t expect this to be perfect." 

He’s nodding his head, before sitting up and pulling his shirt off his head, which was the last article of clothing that made the two not fully naked.

"How about you ride me," An idea that plainly flew into his head, however he's finishing, moving back and onto his back. You couldn’t help the blush that crept up on your face the minute his hands came in contact with your waist, placing you above his torso.

He’s moving to align himself perfectly with your entrance, a slight moan escaping from your lips the minute you're slowly slipping to be seated on him. He groans, his hands coming to make a place on your hips. You didn’t know what to do at first, this had been your first time, and it wasn’t like you were taking notes on how to be fucked.

It was the way he would moan differently that had you figuring out a better pace for the both of you. His head had been placed back into his pillow, at an angle to where he could watch how your tits would bounce and exactly how your wetness would pool down onto his dick. “God fuck baby, you feel so fucking good.”

His words rolled off his tongue with such ease, you hadn’t been uncomfortable at all by his dirty talk. And he knew that just by the way your walls would clench and a longed out whine would slip past your lips. If you did that again he probably would have cum right then and there.

His hands held a tighter grasp on your hips the minute you were placing your hands to rest on his chest, your hips rolling at a quicker pace, his dick rubbing up and down on your walls. “Fuck..” His tip slips back as you bring down your hips back onto him. 

“Yeah baby, just like that." He praises, voice stressed as he feels his cock jerk somewhere inside you. He's not even sure where you learned this, because plot twist you didn’t learn it anywhere. Your pussy fixes around him at the finish of his words and it pushes him to the edge, making him throw his head back again.

It’s when he’s feeling his high coming that he’s moving your back, your chest pressed to his as he’s moving his legs and thrusting into your pussy. You moan loudly, his nails digging into your hips as your hands are tangled in his hair. Lips finding each other as you could feel your climax reaching too.

He doesn’t stop his fast thrusts until your moaning non stop, the feel of your nails digging hard into his hair, legs shaking uncontrollably as the two of you are hitting your climax. The sound of his moans mixing with yours as the only person you thought about was him.

His arms stay around your body until the roll of your hips transforms into little jerks, gasped breaths hitting his neck which has him smiling softly. His neck cranes so he can get a decent glance at your face, a fucked out smile on your face. “Damn, dick that good?” He teases as he feels a huff pressed to his skin.

You're fast to turn in his arms, scrunching your nose as you gaze toward him. "You suck, you really looked hot in that costume," He laughs loudly at that, as he rests his nose in the crook of your neck. You're immediately loaded up with warmth as his arms wrap themselves around your waist. He wanted nothing but to stay in this moment with you.

An all around recognizable feeling starts to pool in your stomach. It was beginning to get harder to contain your complete infatuation with Jungkook, to hold yourself back from falling excessively fast. The way he had been holding onto you gently, drawing circles with his fingertips, and even humming softly, you knew you were fucked.

Yn ; November 1st | 12:37 pm

Soon enough Jungkook is slipping away from your grasp, checking the constant notifications dinging from his phone which made him shoot up from the bed and hurry up to put on his clothes.

“Woah- Is everything okay?” You ask, pulling the sheets with you to cover yourself. Jungkook could see the worried expression on your face, “Yeah baby, don’t worry Hoseok needs me down stairs, Jimin and Yoongi are fighting.”

The minute you are hearing his words, you have to digest. First, he called you baby and boy did you like it, and second Jimin and Yoongi were fighting? You were shocked, hurrying to get out of bed but Jungkook is stopping you.

“No. You stay here okay? I’ll come back after it’s all done, it’s just so you don’t get hurt.” That’s all he says before he’s rushing out of the room leaving you with a shocked and worried feeling.

It had been about twenty minutes and Jungkook still hadn’t come back, so you decided that you would go see what was going on by yourself.

Walking down the stairs in one of Jin’s hoodies and shorts, you heard a lot of yelling, but most importantly crying. Slipping through a few people your heart almost broke at the sight.

Jungkook had been holding back Yoongi as Hoseok and Jin did the same with Jimin, Yoonig’s face streaming with tears, eyes red and nose bloodshot. “Why the fuck are you so scared huh?? Am I nothing to you?!?” He screams, trying to claw out of Jungkook’s hold as Jimin’s eyes are just as hurt as Yoongi’s are. “I never said shit about that Yoongi! I just wished you would have given me time!”

Yoongi can’t control what he’s feeling at that point, tears still streaming as he’s still trying to fight his way out of Jungkook's hold. “You’re my fucking boyfriend Jimin?! Why is that so hard to accept??” Everyone is shocked as Jimin breaks down. You had never seen Yoongi so hurt before, never seen him cry and sure as hell never seen him interested in someone. Jimin doesn’t even look Yoongi in the eyes before he’s leaving, slipping past people who were recording, tears streaming through both of their eyes. Yoongi screams after him, begging him to stop walking and come back but Jimin doesn't and you could tell it broke Yoongi more.

Soon enough Jin announces the party will continue and for no one to panic as him and Jungkook lead Yoongi up towards his room, trying to calm down the crying guy with every walk.

You needed something to drink after that, today was a lot to process and a drink from whatever was in the bottle that was in your hand would suffice. “Now bitch, boy do I have some tea to spill for you.” Lou’s voice rang from beside you, a bright smile on her face.

She instantly notices you’re in Jin’s clothes, but decides that she’ll ask you about it later, but first she needs to tell you about what she just experienced. “Girlfriend guess who just kis-” She doesn’t even get to finish her sentence before someone is walking up.

Lou steps beside you the second her personal space is being invaded, the look on the guys face nasty and uncomfortable. “I’m glad I finally found you again, I never got to ask your name before that one guy came.”

From the way Lou shudders and the way he talks you can tell she’s met him and doesn’t want to again. “Listen dude, she’s not interested.” You speak up, but the guy doesn’t take his hint, a sour look on his face the minute you’re interjecting.

“Listen bitch, why don’t you go get fucked somewhere else alright?”

He’s motioning towards Jin’s clothes, a ping in your chest the minute you realise he just slut shamed you, an instant feeling of discomfort coming through your skin. Lou is seconds from saying something before Taehyung is stepping behind the guy and coughing loudly.

The guy falters, looking over his shoulder and swallowing down. “You know what? I think my friend just called me.” No one gets to say anything before he’s walking fastly away, a worried expression on Taehyung’s face. “Yn? You alright?”

You couldn’t move, the minute you are hearing the concerned voices of Lou and Taehyung has you unintentionally crying. Taehyung doesn’t know what to do when he sees this, softly reaching out and grabbing a hold on your arm and pulling you into a hug.

Jungkook ; November 1st | 1:13 pm

Jungkook helps Jins put Yoongi on his bed before he’s walking across the room into the guest room and being hit with emptiness. He rushed downstairs and looked across the house only to see people going back to what they were doing.

It’s when he looks toward the kitchen that he sees you, but what he sees makes his thoughts run loose. He couldn’t deny that since the day he had proposed to “fake date” that maybe you still thought of it like that and even so, liked Taehyung.

He was pissed, pissed because now he was convincing himself that you played him, pissed at himself for slowly falling for you when he shouldn’t have. He’s walking over towards the kitchen area and clawing you out of Taehyung’s grasp. “Man what the fuck.” Taehyung frowns hard at the younger guy, but Jungkook isn’t looking at him.

“I think it’s time to end the deal.” Jungkook seethes through his teeth, his jaw clenched as you looked confused. Lou and Taehyung were confused behind him. “Jungkook why are you ups-” He doesn’t let you finish, the grip on your hand tight. “I was stupid to think you liked me, but you know what that’s what I get huh? I mean I was the one who suggested for you to fake date me to get over Taehyung for Lou. But even still it looks like Taehyung likes you over her.”

“You did WHAT??” And that’s when shit hits the fan. Jungkook’s eyes widen the minute he realizes what he’s said, Lou scrunching her fists around the cup she had in her hands, liquid spewing out.

“What a load of bullshit.” She doesn’t even look at Jungkook, her cold gaze directed towards you. You had seen this look before, always toward her mom or her brother when they severely pissed her off, but now it was directed toward you for the first time.

“I knew it was all fucking weird. But you two seriously took me for a fucking fool huh? I can’t believe this is what you do behind my back.” You were scrambling, trying your best to not break down. “Lou it’s not what you think-” She doesn’t let you finish either, grabbing a bottle of alcohol and throwing it on the floor, breaking it. “So this is the kind of friend you take me for!!” She looks you dead in the eyes, before turning around and realizing that Taehyung had heard Jungkook’s words. She couldn’t do this, turning around fully and running away, out the house or somewhere in the house, just anywhere away from there.

You push your way out of Jungkook’s grasp, making him realize that he fucked up the minute that he’s watching your back, your figure running away and out the house. You had just lost your best friend and the guy you were falling for all in one night.

↫ masterlist ↬

— "first loves have always been confusing, but when you're bestfriend confesses she likes someone, your willing to do anything, even fake date and even so, find your first love."

⇆a/n: if you want to be added to the taglist, send me an ask - (if you aren’t being tagged. turn notifications on)

TAGLIST: @pjmriri @yoongiofmine @shatzkrinslinzki @sereni-soo @avke @betysotelo18 @she-is-dreaming @jkslachimolala @rageyoudamnednerd @teti-menchon0604 @peachy-skz0325 @shreyuuu @pvt-only @lovelytaes-blog @awseokjin @girlwiththeglittereyeliner @tanumiki

[soobasaur]

「 jisung as your skater boyfriend 」

i used to see you on the sidewalk, standing in your high tops

han!jisung x gender!neutral reader

a/n: i saw this photoshoot of jisung with a skateboard and my mind just shortcircuited and now i have a pinterest board full of skater boy jisung so here we are,,,if u see any skater fics tAG ME

« masterlist similar work »

you didn’t think you’d ever take up skating, after falling the moment you put on roller skates when you were younger you thought it was hopeless to even try

but that was before you saw him.

it all started when your friend jeongin took on a new obsession with skateboarding and you took on a new obsession with the boy at the skate park

you only tagged along to hang out with jeongin and for the ice cream stand that was right next to the skate park

and jeongin always offered to buy you some so why would you say no to that (n˘v˘•)¬

but your obsession started when you watched jeongin start talking to some boys you didn’t recognize, when you later asked he said he met them from the park

one of them in particular caught your eye

he almost always had on a some sort of hat and band tee on, his hat usually falling off when he was halfway through with his tricks

you had been trying to build up some courage to talk to him but didn’t know what to say since you didn’t skate yourself :((

cute boys made you nervous !!!

especially ones who could do cool tricks on their boards !!!

jeongin picked up on your little crush since whenever he asked you to watch him do a new trick your eyes always wandered off to him

he teased you about it but ended up telling you his name and a bit about him

han jisung, he was around your age and went to a campus not far from you, which is why you had never seen him around

one day, when you were actually paying attention to jeongin for once, you saw a hat lying forgotten in the middle of the park and immediately recognized it as jisungs

you were to the point where you could recognize what brands he wore shjdjf

you rushed over to pick it up, dodging jeongin’s board as you did so, and made your way back to your table, clutching it protecting in your fists

after scouring the park for a tuft of his brownish hair you came up empty, deciding to pocket the hat until the next time you visited

when you offered to come to the park the next day without jeongin begging you to do so, your best friend knew something was up

he pestered you until you finally surrendered and showed him the hat, your ticket to starting a conversation with jisung

“i could just introduce you two,” jeongin chastised, rolling his eyes playfully

“that wouldn’t be memorable though! i want him to remember me as the person who saved his hat!”

“....imma just pretend i don’t know you.”

〴⋋_⋌〵 “jeongin !!”

you eventually spotted him waiting in the shade for his friends to skate and mustered up enough courage to walk up to him

“...hey?”

why did that come out like a question (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

he turned to you after realizing you were talking to him, “hi?” he sounded startled, but you didn’t miss the way he quietly checked you out

“uhm so i’m y/n and you dropped your hat the other day? this is yours right? i notice you wear this brand a lot and uh, anyways! i just wanted to return it to you—,” you held out the hat and shut up before you started rambling and embarrassing yourself even more

you say his eyes flash in recognition as he reached out to grab the hat, then took his hand back just as quick

“actually...you can have it. keep it as a gift! i’d rather you give me your number instead,” he winked, before taking out his phone to hand to you

( ･_･) snkdkfkfkgovkovijskd wHAT

you somehow managed to grab the phone with shaky hands as you typed in your number, saving yourself as “y/n ❤️” and handing it back before you could stop yourself

you saw him smile at the contact name, pocketing it before looking back at you

“i’m jisung by the way...do you wanna get some ice cream?”

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) was this perhaps...a date?

“sure...oh! what about your friend?” you asked, gesturing to the boy he seemed to be waiting for

he waved them off, “we can join them later, come on, my treat...i’ll race you there.” and he threw his board down and skated off towards the nearby ice cream stand as you ran off after him, yelling at how that was unfair

true to his words, jisung bought you ice cream and you guys sat down at a worn down bench

unfortunately, it was right out in the sunlight so you kept squinting to lick your ice cream

after seeing your suffering he took the hat he gave you from where you placed it on the table and plopped it on your head, adjusting the straps to fit you

“there, now the sun won’t bother you and we can twin!” jisung smiled, pointing to his current hat which was the one you were wearing in a different color

your little date was soon interrupted with his friend running over along with jeongin, who kept giving you suggestive faces as he stood behind jisung

“cant belive you buy your new partner ice cream and not your friends!! removing you from your best friend position!” his friend whined, he had long blond hair and you didn’t miss how jeongin eyed him discreetly

“shut up hyunjin,” jisung glared, a fond smile on his face as he handed over his friend some bills from his wallet and ruffled jeongin’s hair, “i might as well be your guy’s sugar daddy.”

you couldn’t help but notice how he didn’t deny the part where hyunjin called you jisung’s new partner (ᗒ//ᗕ)

hyunjin and jeongin took the table behind you guys as you continued to talk to jisung

you found out where he went to college and his current major (music production ?/$:&:&) and how he minored in dance so he could have a class with hyunjin, who begged him to join

that made him ten times more attractive and you felt a little shy telling him you were an art major, and the only instrument you could play was the piano due to lessons as a kid

but he thought it was cool and let you rant about your annoying professors and dumb projects you had to complete

in return, he showed you some of his songs and let you watch a couple of his performances before getting bashful and hiding his phone away

jisung rapping made you feel butterflies shkddndj

you two hit it off and bounced off of each other as the conversation went on

after a while jeongin pestered you to go home with him to help him on the project he procrastinated on

it was getting late though so you agreed

jisung asked where you guys were heading and offered to walk you both, since hyunjin didn’t seem keen on leaving jeongin either

hyunjin and jisung instantly put down their boards to start skating to you guys’ dorms before you admitted you didn’t skate

jisung looked pretty shocked at the revelation before kicking his board back up

“hmm, why do you come to the park then?” he asked as you guys ended up walking back, hyunjin and jeongin ahead of you as they decided to skate back

“jeongin bothered me to come with him before he met you guys, then i just started tagging along to see you—, to just hang out.”

he waggled his eyebrows at you as you jogged ahead of him, “to come see me?- hey get back here!”

the four of you finally ended up home, hyunjin walking jeongin to his place a little further from yours as jisung took you to your dorm building to send you in

“oh, before you go, take this.” he mumbled, handing you his board

?????????

why was he handing you his board ಠ_ಠ

“isn’t this yours? why are you giving it to me?” you asked all confused

“i have a ton at my apartment, and this one has a cute design on the back,” he turned the board around and pointed at the art, “you said you like this style of art so i thought you’d enjoy it, and next time you come to the park bring it with you so i can teach you how to ride it”

he shyly scratched the back of his neck as he handed it to you, “take care of it, yeah? i’ll call you later y/n, bye~,” he shot you some finger guns before lamely moonwalking off your porch and running off towards where hyunjin was waiting for him

you carefully clutched the board and made your way inside, your heart beating at the thought of jisung remembering something so minuscule like your favorite art style

you and jeongin didn’t end up finishing his project that night and ending up screaming about your new crushes

true to his word, the next time you went to the park you brought the board with you and he taught you how to ride it

he took you to some smaller ramps in the back and placed the board down, holding out his hands for you to step onto it after noticing your hesitancy

you grabbed ahold of his palm and stepped onto the board, the wheel skidding as you felt like you were gonna tumble off

jisung kept you steady though by placing his free hand on your lower back as he let you find your balance

“make sure to angle your feet a little more that way—yeah like that! keep the board near you at all times.”

he watched as you pulled the board towards you and adjusted your stance a little, looking towards him for guidance

he gave you a big smile in return

“okay now imma pull you around a bit so you get comfortable,” he removed his hand from your lower back, (which you were a little sad about) and started to slowly pull you around

you started to death grip on jisungs hand and screamed how you were gonna die when jisung started pulling a little faster

“i got you,” jisung said fondly, as he pulled you in a little circle

“great, now imma let go for a second,” he let go of your palm before grabbing his other board and stepping his right foot on it

“now your gonna put your dominant foot on the board and push off, like this, and just let it take you to the end of the park.”

he pushed his board away before gesturing for you to push

you gulped before letting loose and pushing your foot off, you stumbled a bit before you felt jisung straighten you up, and then you were off

jisung started to jog beside you as you skated towards the other end of the park >///<

he stayed alongside you until you slowed to a stop and you jumped off, a little shaken from the experience

“you did so well!” jisung cheered, hopping over to give you a short hug, before pulling away with flushed cheeks

“thank you,” you mumbled, your own cheeks dusted pink

you guys walked over to where jisung dropped his bag and he tossed you a water bottle, before plopping onto the curb

“you did so much better then me when i first started, i fell off and twisted my ankle, i’m surprised i decided to get back on the board after that...”

“if you never went back to skateboarding, we never would’ve met.” you joked, downing half of the bottle before handing it back to jisung “and i’m only doing good cus i have a great teacher,” you winked as you adjusted your hat

“us never meeting is a sad thought,” jisung mused before drinking from the same bottle, “hey we just indirectly kissed.” he laughed, before looking down sheepishly

why was he so confident and shy at the same time shdjkkffk

“what if we directly kissed?” you asked before you lost all confidence, which you didn’t have much to start with anyways

you saw jisung shortcircuit before turning back towards you, and after getting a nod from you he leaned forward and captured your lips with his own

he tasted like chocolate ice cream and it made your heart go beserk

when you pulled back to breathe he chased after your lips and brought you back in again

your brain rn: sbjdkfklck

after a little make out session he took you back out until you were able to skate a little by yourself and even do some turns with jisung’s help

and if he gave you little kisses for every time you didn’t fall off that was for the two of you to know

bonus headcanons:

it didn’t take long for jeongin and hyunjin to get together after the both of you set them up

which meant double dates at the skate park!!

jisung made it his new life goal to teach you how to skate enough to go a long time without his assistance

:(( he wanted to go on skate dates with you in the nearby city

your favorite thing was to watch jisung do cool tricks you didn’t know the name of on his board, you were scared he was gonna crack his skull open with the stungs he was pulling (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

jisung mentioned in passing how he wanted a board with this specific design but he couldn’t find one anywhere and gave up

so for his birthday you painted a custom design for him and got it printed onto a skateboard

to say he cried was an understatement he started bawling when he unwrapped it

he almost didn’t wanna use it cus he was scared of scratching it, but you assured him it could be repaired and he took it out for a spin

you eventually got the hang of skating, (you couldn’t do any tricks and had a trouble coming to a stop but hey it was progress)

which meant skating through the city dates !!!!

jisung would give you his other airpod and you guys would skate around the city at night listening to your shared playlist

you loved it when he gave you an enamoured look whenever a girl group somg came on and you started belting out to a loona song

jisung could play almost any instrument and he often sang to you whenever you came over

you could just be lying in bed half asleep and he’d sing to you

you even started to pretend to fall asleep just to hear him softly sing to you and play with your hair

you ended up just using his old skateboard for the time being until jisung bought you a new one

he said he wanted to paint you one but wasn’t sure of his abilities so he got one that matched the design with your old one but was brand new

you also cried <//3

he couldn’t paint, but he could write songs!

he would write songs after you all the time and sing you cheesy love songs to embarass you

you would even draw him if he stood still long enough, and seeing the happy expression on his face whenever he took a look at your sketches was worth it

he gave you a lot of his hats so you guys could match together

he liked being the cliche matching couple !! so sue him !!

it was just the cutest relationship and jisung took good care of you and vice versa <33

jisung best boyfriend !!

thanks for reading ⁂

(gif by user hyunjins)

[wizkiddx]

Hiii I really love your work! Could you write about Tom secretly or not secretly watching yoi have a Zoom Uni class? And maybe he teases you in a way, trying to make you laugh or he sends you text messages or something? And later when you're done and he has a meeting,you tease him right back?

Hope you're having a lovely day 💞

a/n hey anon!! this was a really cute idea but I have another req for the vice versa bit, so only did the first half in this- I hope u don't mind :)

warnings: implied smut at the end but rlly just a fluffy cringe fest

////////////////////////////////////////

Early mornings where never you’re favourite and this one wasn’t an exception to the rule. The LA sun was flooding through the curtains that had been hurriedly thrown almost-closed last night as you huffed into the duvet. You needed to get up - but you definitely didn’t want to. To be fair, you’d only arrived the day before and were still acclimatising to the jet lag - though Tom’s presence certainly made everything alot easier.

Especially as you’d been without him for so long, the pandemic meaning you hadn’t been able to make the long-weekend trips you usually would’ve. So when at the beginning of may, Tom had offered for you to come out and stay with him for half the summer (while he was busy working). There was only really one answer…. free holiday with the absolute specimen of a human who you call your boyfriend? Yes please.

It did mean though, that you had flown out before the end of the semester. Only by a week and it didn’t make much difference because you only had a few zoom lectures - but they were compulsory. So even if you were living in the US, you had to follow your UK school timetable. Hence why you had to get up at 6:30, to make your UK time 14:30 lecture.

The arms around you seemed to have other ideas, huffing and only pulling you tighter when you tried to wriggle out of his embrace. You groaned in annoyance, mainly because he was making it more and more tempting to stay huddled up against him.

“Toooooommm I gotta get up” Clearly not agreeing, he just squeezed you to his chest tighter, whilst emphatically shaking his head - all with his eyes still firmly pressed shut.

“Let go! I have a lecture!” Still not letting up , he just shook his head once again - making his bed hair especially wild as it dragged against the linen pillows.

With a sigh you turned in his death grip, now being able to see his puffy morning eyes pressed firmly shut. First you arched up and pressed a soft kiss to his chin, then jaw and then nose.

“Seriously T, I need to show up to this one.” Because yes, you might’ve already had an absence from yesterday, where you had both slept through the alarm.

“-o it-’” Croaking so much so you couldn’t even puzzle out what he said, the man cleared his throat before trying again, the sound reverberating in his chest. “ uhmm do it from bed, don’t go.”

That had you pouting at his cuteness. Ever since you’d arrived he’d been unbelievable clingy to you, barely letting you out of his sight. You showered together; he sat and stared whilst you did your skin care routine; even at restaurants he insisted on sitting next to you with his hand on your knee. When you had asked him, the only reasoning you got was a shrug and a muttered ‘I missed you’. Never, ever would you complain about Tom’s attention. But…. you really needed to get to your laptop.

“I can’t babe thats not very profess-“

“-wont even be able to tell.”

As much as you tried, you couldn’t ever really deny Tom anything. Not when he cracked his eyelids open, revealing the softest warm brown eyes, coupled with a lazy smile. So yes, you ended up quickly getting changed into one of Toms old burgundy tops, running a brush through your frizzy hair and then clambering back into bed. You balanced your laptop on a tray on top of a box, so the angle was less obvious that your backdrop was a headboard. Instantly Tom had half-asleep turned over to lay his messy head on your lap. And with a half sigh half laugh, you logged on- once in the waiting room bringing a hand down to trail your nails through Tom’s hair which made him groan with delight.

It was all going so well too, up the point where breakout rooms were announced and you had to talk - your chipper voice and laughs with your course mates rousing Tom from his sleep. Every time he almost lifted his head into the view of the webcam, you were very quick to slam it back down, forcing him back onto your lap.

Eventually he got bored of the restrictions, as well as not being very into the history module you were all puzzling over- so slid out of bed into the shower. Once he was gone you did almost sigh in relief, you had thought that Tom in his friendly-idiot manner would end up getting you caught at some point. Especially as our relationship was so secretive, none of your course mates knew you weren’t single - imagine their shock if an a lister popped up in the zoom class.

But oh, the relief did not last long at all.

The issue was Harry had gone out for the day. It was just you and Tom in his fancy rented LA house. And, as mentioned, Tom was being clingy as hell. It couldn’t of been more than 20 minutes before the fluffy haired brunette was back in the room - pouting when he saw you still on the computer.

Even though you shooed him away, Tom just cocked his head to one side, a small smirk on his face. And you knew. You knew he was going to be a little shit. He slinked over the bed, perching at the foot next to where your feet lay.The warning look you shot him, metaphorical daggers coming out your eye did absolutely nothing - you watched his hand pin your right ankle down before stroking the sole of your foot. Familiar shivers shot up your leg and it took everything in you to not kick out, launching the laptop across the room as tickled you.

Soon though he stopped, you pulled yourself into a cross legged position, readjusting the laptop and trying to concentrate back on the lecturer. Seeing your disinterest, Tom hopped up off the bed and you thought he was leaving. But no. No you were wrong. He just stood at the foot of the bed, hands on hips as he appeared to listen intently to the lecturer too.

Clearly Tom was an actor, he was pretty good at accents. You should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to resist the impersonating your academic staff - who happened to have a strong Somerset accent.

Pretending to ignore Tom as he hunched up and widened his stance - to imagine the physicality of your lecturer- you narrowed your eyes at the computer screen. Then though, a deep booming farmer-like voice came out your well spoken south london boy - god you were glad you’d stuck the mute button on as soon as he had entered.

“And then as your reading in chapter twel-“

“And then as yowr readinf in chapter twelve….” Tom echoed the lecturer loud and proud, making it completely impossible for you to attempt to concentrate. As much as you wanted to be furious at him- well, all it took was one look.

He was holding his face in some sort of duck pout and all the movements were extra pronounced and exaggerated. You couldn’t help it- instantly you burst out laughing, having to turn off the video for fear of anyone noticing.

Seeing he’d got a rise out of you, Tom was only spurred on, continuing the dramatic acting with a new found confidence. That was until you got yourself under control, face turning like a switch from joy to fury.

“Shut the hell up!”

And he did, for a few minutes, whilst pouting like a told-off toddler. In a strop, he sat down, shoulders slumped at the edge of the bed. Oh how wrong your were, when you thought you’d won - with a satisfied smile concentrating back on the laptop screen. Just in time to hear the lecturer FINALLY starting to rounding up the lecture.

“Alright so next session we’re-“ Before he’d even stammered his way to the end of the sentence, Tom’s face had switched up once again - into one of mischief as he started crawling up the bed either-side of your legs. One strong arm reached out to touch the back of your laptop lid and before you could protest he was pushing it down, till it landed with a small ‘clunk’.

“You did not just do that!” Yelling at him, you sat up so now he was kneeling across your lap.

“But I just did.” He mimed a mic drop which had you cringing hard, staring at him in disbelief. Okay the lecturer was beginning to round off, but that conclusion could’ve gone on for 5 minutes at least!

“Oh you are so in for it Holland.”

You’d meant it as a threat, as a sort of ‘I’m-going-to-make-your-life-a-living-hell” but the bright eyed boy before you had other plans. Wordlessly he nodded, then placed your laptop on the bedside ; then pushed you down on the bed. His legs either side of you, his arms like rockets to pin yours either side your head.

“Ah but you see my love…” he tutted, with a wide smile, hhis breath fanning down onto you as he took your breath away. “That is exactly what I want.” Immediately his lips were on yours, the both of you fighting for dominance as you arched your head up to get extra purchase on him.

“I hate… I hate you… so bloody much” It was hard to talk when his intoxicating lips were moving against yours, melting away all your resistance.

“Hmmm… well its… its a good thing… that I love you.”

He was impossible and no doubt you’d missed the prep work for tomorrows lecture. But having him there, body pressed against yours, after months apart.

Well, you wouldn’t mind failing the module for him.

~~~~ let me know what you think <333~~~~

tag list : @thefernandasantana @lovehollandy12 @hallecarey1 @crossyourpeter @hollandfanficlove @msmimimerton @thegirlwiththeimpala

[tangledstarlight]

is this any good? not really no. did i write it anyway because the thought wouldn’t leave me alone? yes, yes i did. anyway here have a juke playing pool fic that drunk me demanded idk

Julie let’s half her weight rest against the pool cue as she wraps her fingers around the top and leans slightly forward from her place sitting on a stool, legs swinging and cheek against her wrist, and keeping her eyes on how Flynn is leaning over the table. 

Her friend makes the whole thing look easy. Bending slightly, use one hand to rest the pool cue on and the other to push it forward. Yet every time it came to Julies go the stick felt awkward in her hands and she could never quite get enough power into her push. She watches as Flynn picks her target and knocks the white ball into a cluster of the coloured ones, her mouth screwing to the side as none of them go in, just loiter near the holes. 

“I’m going to go pee,” Flynn sighs dramatically as she walks over to the table they’ve claimed next to the pool tables, their bags and drinks littering the surface showing just how long they’ve been in the bar. What had started as a quick drink after work had quickly turned into bitching about life and people and a series of truly awful dates and one night stands. Which had turned into Flynn saying they should play pool and Julie reluctantly agreeing. 

“If you take a few practice shots while I’m gone I won’t comment,” she grins, leaning the pool cue against one of the chairs as she breezes past Julie, just out of reach of her swatting hand. 

“Ha ha!” She mocks, eyes slightly squinted as she tries to keep the grin off her face as Flynn turns around to blow her a kiss before vanishing into a small crowd that’s gathered in the hours they’ve been there. 

Turning back to the pool table Julie lets out a sigh as she looks at the white ball and the where it is in relation to any of the stripped ones and wonders if maybe she could just push one or two in and claim it was a fluke of luck. Lifting her pool cue up Julie pushes off the stool, feet hitting the floor with dull thud and she shakes out her skirt a little before moving towards the table, head tilted slightly as she tries to plan her attack without cheating. 

Eventually she just decides to go for it. Planning and overthinking hasn’t been helping her so far after all, in fact she’s often been accused of overthinking things. So she picks a side, takes up the stance Flynn favoured and bit her lip in concentration. Her hips rest against the edge of the table as she bends at the waist, one end of cue resting between her thumb and pointer finger and blows out a breath as she pushes it forwards. 

“Fuck,” she hisses, watching as the white ball rolls forward a few inches, clinking lightly against 2 others before settling. None of the balls have really moved at all. 

“You’re uh— You should try not standing so close to the table,“ a voice says from just a little behind her and to the right, and he’s rubbing a hand at the back of his neck as Julie spins around to look at him, her back against the table. Whatever response she had died on her lips as she looked up at him, the black jeans and cut off band tee and the messy hair that’s curling slightly around his ears. 

Julie had seen him come in earlier — it was hard to miss him when he looked like that and had a laugh that echoed across a music filled room — with two other guys. He’s by himself now though, standing a little away from her, rocking slightly on his feet as he looks at her, eyes open and honest. Waiting for her response probably. 

“Oh,” is all Julie manages to get out, and maybe it’s the drinks she’s had or the bad day at work followed by Flynn’s pep talk or maybe she just wants to win at something tonight, but she suddenly feels a little daring as she looks up at this cute guy and chews her bottom lip slightly. 

“Like this?” She asks as she shuffles back a little from the table and turns around so she’s facing it again, putting space between her hips and the edge and looking at him over her shoulder. 

His eyes seem to follow the curve of her body quickly before jumping back to her face, and there’s a slight blush on his cheeks but it’s hard to focus on that as his lips curl up on one side in a way that makes Julie shiver a little. 

“Yeah, and you need to hold the cue further back,” he nods at her hand and then raises an eyebrow at her, hand dropping away from his neck to gesture at her, “Can I?” 

Julie knows she should have probably at least hesitated a moment before grinning at him and nodding once. Which is apparently all the consent he needs because then he’s standing next to her and Julie can see the way his teeth are biting into his bottom lip as he carefully manoeuvres her fingers further down the pool cue, can smell the deodorant he uses mixed with the beer he’s been drinking, can see the stubble on along his jaw and the wonders what it would feel like against her skin. She knows she is staring at him, but she can’t quite bring herself to stop. 

“Try again now,” he says, and Julie startles, realising she’s been caught staring and he knows it if the low laugh he lets out if anything to go by. Pulling her eyes away from his — unfairly handsome — face, she looks back to the pool balls that she can’t seem to move no matter how hard she tries. 

This time, with her hips away from the table and her hand a lot lower down on the cue, when she pushes the tip toward the white ball it shoots forward, knocking several around the table with it and clearing itselfs a path straight into a hole. 

“Shitting hell,” she groans and it’s only the man's laugh moving around the table that stops her from letting her head fall against the felt top. Instead she pouts and glares half-heartedly at him, “Are you laughing at a stranger's struggles? That’s low.”

“I’d never laugh at a stranger's struggles,” he says and Julie watches as he plucks the white ball out of the hole and places it carefully back on the table before moving back around it towards her, holding out a hand to her with a softer smile than before, “I’m Luke.”

She blinks at his hand for a moment before gently putting her free one in it, eyebrows raised as she says, “Julie.”

“Now we’re not strangers,” Luke grins, and it brightens up his whole face in a way that makes Julie smile back. “Want to try again?”

Julie blows out a breath and nods, she really wants to get at least one of the correct balls in. 

“Okay, let me just—“ he takes the hand he’s still holding and gently turns her back towards the table before letting go. Julie doesn’t even have a chance to miss the feeling of his fingers around hers before he’s picking her hand up again to position it on the pool cue and using his other to rest lightly on her hip, pulling them away and sending shivers down her spine. Julies suddenly very glad that her hair is tied back when Lukes chin hooks over her shoulder and she can feel his breath against her cheek. 

“Don’t think so much about angles and stuff. Just hit it hard.” 

She doesn’t really think that’s professional pool advice, but Julie is also too wrapped up in the feeling of him solid and warm wrapped around her to do anything but follow his advice. 

If she stopped to think about it she’d have probably realised that Luke had lined her up a perfect and easy shot when he’d put the white ball back on the table, but she hadn’t really stopped to think at all since he’d shown up. And when the white ball knocks into the striped blue one and sends it flying into the hole she doesn’t stop to think either. 

Just lets the pool cue drop from her fingers with a clatter and spin around to throw her arms around Luke’s neck. 

Instinct seems to take over as his arms wrap around her waist, and hers move from his neck to his cheeks and suddenly she’s pushing her lips against his. It’s a quick kiss, a peck against the lips before pulling back to look at him with wide eyes, thoughts and worries crashing back into her head only to be silenced again as Luke grins and leans forward to catch her lips again, pushing her back against the edge of the table until she has to jump to sit on the edge, Luke using the slight change to his advantage and deepen the kiss. 

Julie doesn’t win a game of pool that night, but she does make out with Luke against the table for five minutes before Flynn interrupts by with a whistle that has the two of them breaking apart, panting and flushed and slightly hazy eyed to see her standing flanked by two guys who are shaking their heads with mock disapproval. 

“I got one in,” Julie says innocently once she catches her breath and Luke helps her off the table, his hands detangling themselves –– one from her hair and one from the knot in her t-shirt –– to wrap one arm around her shoulders and tugging her against his side. Flynn’s brows shoot up her forehead and Julie decides to blame to flush in her cheeks on the lights and the heat rolling off of the body stood next to her. Thankfully Flynn doesn’t comment, just purses her lips as she nods once and Julie knows she’ll be getting an earful later. 

Which is fine, because she’ll be happy to recount everything later. Especially when an hour later as they’re all leaving the bar Luke slips his number scrawled on a beer mat into her hand and presses a quick and gentle kiss to her cheek. 

[pillowbee]

in which the party argue about soulmate marks

“Come now, Q. Indulge us. What do you think of soulmates?”

Q stared at the room at large.

“Soulmates?”

His sister smiled and nodded.

“I don’t believe in it,” Q blurted out. He got a mixed reaction from the party.

“--don’t think Q is interested in the topic, so please don’t take it personally.”

Q snapped to attention upon hearing his name being uttered by his sister. He turned away from the bookshelf to find the whole party looking at him expectantly.

Mallory had a bemused look on his face, while Eurus was actually smirking behind her glass of drink.

“I was just admiring your library,” Q said, gesturing at the shelf with a wave of his hand. “A fine collection, indeed.”

Mallory looked pleased. “Yes, well -- I make it a point to expand it whenever I travel.”

Q opened his mouth to inquire about the other’s latest trip to India, but his sister was quick to cut him off. “Come now, Q. Indulge us. What do you think of soulmates?”

Q stared at the room at large. “Soulmates?”

Eurus smiled and nodded.

“I don’t believe in it,” Q blurted out. He got a mixed reaction from the party.

Mycroft raised his glass and drank to that, Miss Moneypenny let out an exasperated, “Really?” while Dr. Watson crossed his arms and demanded, “Care to elaborate on that further, Q?”

“What is there to elaborate?” he shrugged. “Oh don’t get me wrong, I do believe in the biology of it. That two people can be born bearing similar marks upon their skin, and that they may have similar traits. But to say that the soulmate mark could create some sort of an everlasting bond?” Q made a face. “I’m sorry, but no.”

“Then do you deny the genius of some of the greatest soulmate pairings we’ve seen in history?” It was Bond, this time. “Writers, poets -- inventors, even.”

Q had been trying to avoid engaging with Bond all of yesterday and today, but it seemed there was no escaping it this time.

He sent a quick glare in Eurus’ direction. While Q did occasionally feel like strangling one of his siblings, that sibling was rarely Eurus.

Eurus, who merely smiled back innocently at him.

“What genius?” Q shot back.

“Come now, Mr. Holmes!”

“No, really -- whatever masterpiece you are claiming to have resulted from a ‘profound bond’ between two people with the same soulmate marks can easily be attributed to something else or other.”

“Such as?”

Q shrugged again. “Psychology, perhaps,” he said simply. “Having the world tell you that your life would be complete once you have found your soulmate must have some sort of effect on how you react once you do find that person.”

Bond narrowed his eyes at this and opened his mouth to argue, but Q quickly added, “I’m curious as to where you stand on this, Dr. Swann. As a psychologist?”

Now, the room turned their attention to the French doctor, Bond included.

Dr. Swann began to speak her mind, and the party listened. Dr. Watson posed a question, and Miss Moneypenny added to it -- but Q was not listening. He couldn’t help noticing how quickly Bond had turned his attention towards Madeleine Swann, how quickly he had dismissed Q and his apparently scandalous stance on the soulmate mark.

While Q didn’t generally like being the centre of attention, he did enjoy being the subject of interest of one James Bond, once upon a time.

Look where he was now. He couldn’t even hold Bond’s attention for five short  minutes.

Q downed his drink and exhaled steadily through his nose.

Despite successfully redirecting the party’s attention elsewhere, Q still could not escape the knowing glances of his siblings. Mycroft was only sparing Dr. Swann half his attention, judging by the way his body was still angled slightly towards Q in his seat; Sherlock, who had been feigning boredom across the room throughout the whole conversation, was now eyeing Q steadily; and Eurus, damn her, was also observing him behind her glass of drink.

Q rolled his eyes, turned away from them, and started scanning Mallory’s book shelf once more.

[smellsfaintlyofvanilla]

Hey~~ could you write Annie x reader? What I had in mind was towards the end of s1 when Annie was trying to climb up the wall, could she try and take reader with her because they always talked about being together? Kinda like when Ymir took Historia in s2, and I really love your writings 💕 thanks~

TAsdfhjksfadh you didn’t specify whether Annie made it over the wall with the reader or not so uh I just kinda picked one lol hope you don’t mind

Also, sorry this is a little late, I've been feeling just a little sick for the past couple of days.

Prove It

(Annie Leonhart x Reader)

AU: Canon

Warnings: Season 3 spoilers

Category: Mostly angst, little fluff

Summary: When Annie was outed as the Female Titan, she didn’t have a lot of options on where to go. And, as the fight between her and Eren progresses, it becomes clear her best option is to flee. Yet, there’s just one thing she can’t leave without. And it seems the feeling’s mutual.

Words: 3.1K

That wicked laughter.

It rung through the empty streets of Stohess, abandoned specifically for this military operation.

The goal? To lure out the suspected Female Titan, Annie Leonhart. Your girlfriend.

At first, you were violently against participating in the operation. You weren’t going to incriminate her, that would be incredibly faithless. Really, you wanted nothing more than for her to be vindicated, and to prove the the world the the “heartless” Annie Leonhart is a loyal soldier, not the traitorous snake they started to make of her.

It got in your head, most certainly. Within hours of the first discussion, ‘Annie Leonhart’ and ‘Female Titan’ had become synonymous with each other, and you hated every bit of it. You always defended her fiercely, because you could only hear so much distasteful talk towards her before you started to broil over with rage.

So, you agreed. You were going to lure Annie down in to the tunnel and prove once and for all that she wasn’t a monster. You could clear her of suspicion, and the two of you would go back to your ordinary lives with each other.

And oh, if only that was what happened.

But you watched in horror as Annie refused to go down the tunnel. She laughed, laughed, when you pleaded with her to follow you, that all she needed to do was come along with you to be unshackled from the scrutiny and doubt.

But her feet remained planted in her rigid stance of defense.

“Y/n...” She slurred out, laughter finally subsiding. “I’m glad I could be a good person to you.”

The slope of fear seemed to lose it’s steadiness, and the drop-off into the pit of empty horror occurred when she held up her hand to her mouth, preparing herself for the bloodshed to follow.

“You’ve won your bet. But this is where my bet begins...!”

The signal flare fired, and the countless soldiers waiting in ambush jumped from all angles. You watched, wide-eyed and frozen, as they restrained her and gagged her, like muzzling a dog. But, it was no use. Her ring, the silver ring she never let you touch, sprung up a spike out of it’s side, and a quick slide of her thumb across the tip opened up a bloody gash in her finger.

And then came the lightning.

Mikasa had thrown her arms around you and Armin, dragging you down into the tunnel to get out of harm’s way of the transformation.

You knew she had finished her transformation when the thundering stopped, and chunks of debris rolled to a stop at your feet, stirred dust slowly settling itself back onto the stone ground. For a moment, everything stilled, and only the ragged breaths of Armin and the sheathing of Mikasa’s blades were audible.

And then something moved.

You weren’t sure what it was, until around the corner, the light was consumed by a large shadow, growing closer and closer and absorbing more of the sunlight until it rounded the corner.

A fingertip. Then the finger. Then the hand. An arm—and it was traveling down the hallway, fingers frozen in a pose as if it were trying to grab onto something, something it couldn’t see.

“Shit!” You let out a terrified yelp and took off running, Mikasa hot on your tail and Armin stumbling closely behind.

It sought after the three of you, until a distant thump could be heard. You whipped your head around and stopped running, noticing the hand—ever present, it’s finger stretched desperately in an attempt at grabbing something, but it was no use. You caught a glance of it’s upper arm, flush against the wall of the curve.

She couldn’t reach any farther.

You let out of a sigh of relief, falling to your knees and gazing at it. It’s shaking fingers stopped, finally, and went limp into it’s palm in defeat, before slowly pulling itself out. You had no clue whether it was trying to grab you, or Armin, or Mikasa, or if it was planning on killing you or not. Bottom line, it was unsuccessful.

But then more thunder.

It seems Eren finally got his cue, because the signature yellow hues of transformation shone even into the dark abyss of the wrecked tunnel.

The three of you took a deep breath and shared a collective glance. Before long, the unsaid instructions were followed, and the three of you scurried out of the tunnel to witness the action.

And action it was—the first sight you were greeted with upon exiting was that of Annie delivering a decisive punch to Eren’s jaw, sending him flying backwards into the streets of Stohess.

Eren returned to his feet as fast as he could, and let out a menacing roar as he charged at Annie, arms low like a football player preparing to pounce on something.

He charged, but her feet remained planted, arms bracing for impact.

You watched as the two of them brawled furiously. You didn’t even notice that Mikasa and Armin had left your side—you hadn’t moved. You couldn’t find it in your heart to fight Annie, but neither were you going to fight Eren. No, all you could do was watch, helpless.

The battle continued fiercely, absolutely wrecking the city in the process. Building were destroyed and crumpled, streets of stone completely upended as one or the other got helplessly tossed around.

It came to a head as the fight eventually progressed to a wide, open space of stone, and the two of them were fighting hand to hand, both of them looking worse for wear. You shot your ODM gear into the roof of a nearby building, watching the fight with a slacked jaw. You had no clue how Eren was even standing a chance to Annie, since you yourself had seen how skilled she was in martial arts.

Soon, though, a decisive kick to Annie shin sent debris and rocks flying everywhere. Annie lost her footing, tumbling to the ground with a thump.

And you had been so fixated on Annie in that moment that you failed to notice the debris, and it was headed right towards your face.

Something—rigid and powerful—collided with your head, and you fell to the ground instantly.

Your vision was already fading, and you watched as tiny streams of crimson flowed over the shingles and down the roof—no doubt stemming from the newly opened gash on your scalp.

The distant clinking of the rock as it tumbled down the slope of the roof was the last thing you heard, and the world around you faded to black.

---

Through the darkness, a memory flashed through your mind.

---

It was dark out, of course it was. Shadis would never let you have leisure time at all when the sun was up.

You leaned against an lone oak tree, fingers brushing through the soft grass idly. The air was cold and crisp, and a soft breeze flowed through the air, just barely enough to rustle your soft hair.

Annie sat silently next to you, shoulder brushing up against yours. Slowly, she slinked her hand over yours, hesitantly grasping at your hand. You entwined your fingers with hers, and she looked away shyly.

She often had bouts of insomnia, lying awake at night for hours, unable to get her body to relax. And, the first night she tugged at your nightshirt, waking you up to go outside with her, she fell asleep in your arms due to exhaustion almost immediately.

So, it had become an unspoken ritual from that day on. She couldn’t sleep, she’d wake you up, the two of you would go outside, and talk or busy yourselves until sleep inevitably caught up to her.

But today was different. For whatever reason, something had been keeping her up for a lot longer than usual. You knew something was weighing down on her heavily, but you weren’t going to pry it out of her.

Deciding to break the tense silence, you squeezed her hand gently, getting her attention before you spoke.

“It’s nice out, isn’t it?” You observed. You weren’t talking about the weather per-say, but the thousands of white speckled stars that dotted the sky, and the bright, full moon that illuminated the grass and dirt beneath you.

“It’s cold.” She said bluntly.

You chuckled softly, her bleak attitude was so characteristic of her.

“I guess that’s true.”

More silence.

And then she sighed, bringing your hand into her lap to cusp it in both of her palms, clinging onto it as if it were grounding her.

“What do you plan on doing later in life, Y/n?” She huffed, leaning her head backwards against the back of the tree and gazing up at the sky. “You don’t possibly plan on staying in the military your whole life, do you?”

“No, of course not.” You sighed.

“Then do you have plans afterwards?”

You paused for a minute. She raised a good point, you didn’t really think of anything after the military. Deep down, perhaps you understood that by joining the Cadet Corps you didn’t have much ahead of you. You can only survive so many brushes with death before it’s your turn to go.

“I guess not...” You hesitated, deep in thought. You swallowed a lump in your throat before changing the subject. “Why, do you?”

Even through the darkness, you could feel the shrug of her shoulders against you.

“Not really.” She muttered. “Just... stay with the MPs, make a living wage, retire somewhere in the interior, and... relax. I just wanna... find somewhere to relax.”

She paused for a second. Clearly there’s something tugging at her mind, something she wants to say. So, you sit back and wait for her to find the confidence.

“Do you promise me that... sometime, after a while in the Scouts, that you’ll come back to be with me?”

The future between the two of you was always painted with uncertainty—whether the two of you could ever truly stay together. It would be difficult, between soldiers, to be able to settle down and stay together no matter what, especially from different regiments. But you could always try.

She exhaled shakily, struggling to get the words out of her throat.

“I just can’t imagine living the rest of my life without you. ‘Cause... if anything ever happened to you in the Scouts...” Her voice trailed off near the end, and you assumed she was trying to plan out her next words carefully, until you heard a small sniffle pass her lips.

Surprised, you turned to face her. She was trying to fight off the tears at the corners of her eyes, lip trembling as she struggled not to cry. It wasn’t until now that you realized just how tightly she gripped your hand.

“Annie- Annie it’s alright.” You stumbled, trying to comfort her. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was upsetting her—she was scared of living a life without you.

You hooked an arm around her lower back, pulling her closer to you and putting your other hand on the back of her head and guiding her to your shoulder.

“I promise you, no matter what, I’ll live. And one day, we can spend all our time together. I’ll go wherever you go, I swear.” You ran your hand through her hair, undoing the bun she kept it in and evening it out over her shoulders.

“You promise?” Her voice sounded shaky and weak, a vulnerability to it that she rarely showed. “No matter what happens to me, you’ll trust me and stay with me?”

“I promise. Of course I do.”

---

Warmth.

It was the first thing you noticed upon waking up. The second was darkness. You sat up, noticing how wet the surface beneath you was. And how how fleshy.

Your face paled in realization. You were in a titan's mouth.

You raised your arm up, cringing at the trail of saliva that connected you to her tongue.

Immediately, you searched for a way to get out. You didn't plan on leaving her behind, but you'd rather not be stuck in a place as slimy and dark as this either. However, your efforts were pointless, since her jaw was clamped shut, her teeth caging you in and preventing you from escaping. Your heart dropped a little, wondering if she didn't trust you not to run away.

Suddenly, you felt a large thump, the unexpected movement causing you to grab desperately at anything that would keep you grounded in one spot.

But then, another thump. And another, and another. It felt like running, almost, but far too slow. You pondered it for a moment, before you realized what was going on.

She was trying to climb the wall.

But then, the thumping stopped. She wasn't falling, thank god, but all movement has seized.

Hesitantly, her jaw started to open, giving ample space for you to squeeze through. A sudden thought came to you—she needed your help.

With no hesitation, you drew your blades and burst through the skin of her cheek, not even waiting for her to part for lips. Adrenaline pumping through your veins, you immediately search for the source of the problem. And you found it in the brute of a soldier, Mikasa Ackerman.

The girl was perched on Annie's nose, staring down at her. A quick glance to your side and you realized, with horror written all over your face, that Mikasa had cut off almost all of Annie's fingers—one more and Annie would easily lose her grip.

You understood, as soon as Mikasa drew her blades towards Annie's hand, you only had one option.

You shot your ODM gear towards her, not even caring when the hook dug into Mikasa's shoulder, causing her to yelp in pain as she turned to you.

She wasn't even given a moment to process as you came hurtling towards her, colliding with her shoulder and sending both of you flying through the air and towards the ground—fast.

Despite the small voice telling you that it would be easier to just ditch Mikasa, to release your ODM gear and let her fall, you shot the other hook into the wall, and your momentum halted to a stop.

She peeled her arms away from their protective guard around her head, processing that the two of you had stopped before looking up to you in surprise. You looked back down at her, an expression of sorrow in your eyes. It hurt you to betray her, and all of your comrades, like this, but you knew as soon as Annie placed her trust in you by opening her mouth that you only had one choice.

"Y/n what are y—!"

"I'm sorry Mikasa!" You yelled, trying to put aside your emotions for the time being. "I can't... I can't leave her, I promised I wouldn't!"

You took a deep breath, positioning on your finger on the trigger, preparing to release Mikasa from your ODM gear's bloody grip in her shoulder. "I'm sorry..." You muttered, before pulling the trigger, watching Mikasa tumbled towards the ground, her betrayed expression still glued helplessly on her face.

You decided that it would only hurt you to look at Mikasa—engraining that image into your head would certainly plague you later on.

You finally turned to look back at Annie, and your heart picked up a couple paces at the sight.

Her head was turned to you, watching—waiting—for you, her hand outstretched in your direction. You smiled, firing your ODM and flying into the palm of her hand, quickly climbing up onto her shoulder to allow her to finish her ascent up the wall.

You turned back one last time, looking over at the destroyed city, and the furious and betrayed faces of your comrades. You sighed, turning back around. That's in the past now, you thought. It doesn't matter. I... made a promise to Annie, I can't betray her. I can't...

---

The line of trees in the distance grew closer and closer as Annie jogged forwards, having made it over the wall and all the way to the forest inside Wall Maria.

She slowed down to a walking pace as she neared the trees, kneeling on the ground before releasing herself from the nape of her titan. Steam flowed from her body as she immediately collapsed forwards, and you instantly lurched forwards to catch her exhausted body in your arms.

"Grab on." You instructed, waiting for her to securely wrap herself around you before you flew through the air and onto a tree branch, making sure you were safely out of the reach of any mindless titans before you let go of her.

She took a deep breath, leaning against the wooden trunk of the tree to recollect her strength. After all, even as a titan, the fight had done numbers to her body.

You sat there in comfortable silence for a little bit, waiting for her to catch her breath while you idly readjusted the straps to your ODM gear.

Finally, she reached over to take your hand, grabbing it in both of hers just like she had during your conversation with her years ago.

"I'm so glad..." She sighed, voice weak and wavering. "I was so scared when I opened my mouth that you would just... run off without me."

Slowly, she shifted, wrapping her arms around your neck and leaning her entire body weight on you. You could feel some of the tension leaving her body as she sighed against you, burying her nose in the crook of your neck.

"I was terrified that if you found out my real identity, you would just leave me. I don't know how I would've handled it. I was just..." She took a shaky inhale as she continued, and you felt a few wet tears against your neck. "Scared. So... So scared..."

You set a comforting hand on her back, hugging her tighter in an attempt to sooth her.

"Annie..." You cooed in her ear. "I promised you, remember? I would never leave your side. I'm gonna stay with you for the rest of my life."

Her breathing started to calm against you, your words managing to ease her worries.

"Yeah," She sighed, pulling away from you. "I shouldn't have doubted you, sweetie."

You smiled and placed your hands on her shoulders, bringing her in for a quick kiss before wiping her tears with the back of your hand.

"It's fine. Just remember," You leaned in and hugged her, exuding a warm feeling that made Annie's heart swell with love. "I'll always be on your side, no matter what."

"God, I love you so much, you dork." She muttered, heat rising to her cheeks with a content smile.

You chuckled, "I love you, too."

MAN THIS IS ASS

This is what happens when you force yourself to write with a headache whoops haha

[smolla-than-a-bug]

you’re definitely flirting with me

—jason todd x villain!reader

second and final part to are you flirting with me. can be read as a stand-alone tho

navi | bat boys m.list | are you flirting with me

content — language, blood, mentions of harassment, mildly suggestive (use of the word ‘daddy’ but ironically)

notes — i know that its literally been years and that i formerly posted a part two to are you flirting with me, but looking back, i didn't like how it turned out. i did find a fun drabble in my drafts with villain!reader as well, so i decided to rewrite it and use it as a continuation. i actually deleted the old parts personally, i prefer this version of the end!

"I'm in."

"Hot. You should be able to see–"

"Nothing?"

Silence.

"Is this your way of telling me you're visually impaired?"

"I will scoop your eyes out in your sleep."

"Please use an ice cream scooper. My eyeballs would fit so well, it would be so satisfying–"

"Harper."

"Okay, okay. What do you mean nothing?"

"By nothing I mean nothing, ball sack. The warehouse is fucking empty."

Frantic rustling of papers and violent knocking of objects could be heard on Roy's end of the line. Jason sighed, going to pinch the bridge of his nose before realizing he had a helmet on. 

The whole situation was throwing him off his rhythm — that much was evident. The intel they had collected on the gang of criminals seemed too obvious, too predictable. Jason had his suspicions, but Roy was quick to shut him down. 'Dude, trust me,' he said. Famous last words.

A crackle of static sounded in his earpiece. Roy's voice urgent and choppy before completely dying out. Jason could only attempt to call out to his partner in the hopes of a full response, but his efforts brought no avail. That's another thing that went wrong today.

"Hey, sexy."

What in the fuck.

"Your ass looks great from this angle. The party you're looking for is in a bar on the other side of the city, by the way."

You couldn't actually see him, but he doesn't need to know that. It's just your thing to mess with him, and by the sounds of him cussing you out for hacking into his means of communication, it was working. It was amusing. He kept you entertained.

That was all you had to say to him for now though, so you bid him goodbye. The roaring of his motorcycle over his colorful language directed at you was the last thing you heard before you cut off and allowed his partner to get back on the line.

"Jaybird? You there?"

"Ah, you're back. I'm never trusting you with getting intel again."

"Whatever. Anyway, was that...?"

"Yeah. Y/v/n."

"Hm. I don't know what she's on, but you have no ass like–"

"And yet I have more ass than you, so shut the fuck up, paddle board."

“That... That was a bit harsh, bro.”

Soft gushes of wind blew against your masked face. You shut your eyes, feeling the breeze and relishing in your little moment of peace. Lazily pacing, you hummed a random tune.

Your mischief and cunningness is something your alias was known for. Most often, it's a convenient trait to be able to slip around with ease and get the job done in a snap, but sometimes you get bored. It can be such a drag when nobody tries a confrontation with you. That's why you're so fond of the Red Hood. It's a shame that it's been a while since you've seen him around, so imagine your delight when you feel a familiar presence behind you.

You took a seat at the edge of the building. To anyone, you would've looked like you were having your main character moment, peacefully looking over the city if not for the small pile of bodies rotting away not too far from you. The dried blood on your attire and your fingers no longer irked you in the slightest. It's something you've gotten used to, which lead to your habit of picking the blood under your nails. Red gets annoyed when you do this — all the more reason to entertain your habit in front of him.

You let your legs dangle over the edge without a care. You didn't bother to greet the vigilante, who currently had a gun aimed at your back. Sigh.

“Oh, I do hate the sight of blood.”

“Well then, maybe — just maybe — you shouldn’t kill for a living.”

That got you to turn your head to face him. You cock an eyebrow — doesn’t he kill for a living too? Sure, his victims are usually criminals and thugs while yours are people you’re paid to target, usually business owners and the occasional politician, but you digress. Details. The point is, he kills people too.

A few seconds of staring and prolonging the tension passed, and Jason weighed his options before eventually putting down his gun. He then opted to join you on the ledge.

“So,” he started, “what’s your favorite color?”

Funny.

“Sweetheart, if you thought you’d be able to keep me entertained with small talk... I think I’d rather you shot me.”

You stood up from your spot on the ledge and leaned over the rooftop to examine your altitude. You grin to yourself.

“What are you doing?”

You don’t answer. You want to see something. Instead you turn your body to face Jason and mockingly salute him before leaping off the building, though not before you heard him call out your alias’ name and yell a panicked ‘Wait!’

Immediately after you, Jason followed. You chuckled when you saw him get closer. You enjoyed fooling him around almost as much as you enjoyed fooling around with him.

With no time to waste, he pulled out his grappling hook, yanked your body by the waist, and zipped to the rooftop of the nearest building — one different from the last one you were on.

Jason‘s heaving chest radiated distress.

“You’re fucking insane! You could have died!”

You stood in front of him, arms crossed and your stance relaxed. Nobody would’ve suspected that you literally jumped off a building just a few seconds ago. Aw, you pout, he cares about me.

“Would’ve made your job easier. You know, you heroes are supposed to get rid of the bad guys.”There’s humor in your eyes. Jason knows you’re enjoying this. He hates how much you enjoy this. “So, why’d you save me?”

“Why’d you help me with my mission last time?”

He’s deflecting. Cute.

“Hey, I asked you a question first.” You know he won’t budge til you give him an answer. He’s probably been asking himself that question since it happened. You mentally pout, aww he thinks of me. Sigh. Okay, fine.

“The gang you were after just so happened to have given me a job a little while ago.” You recall some of the gang members attempting to grope you. Some unpleasant memories you’d rather live without. “Pissed me off. Now your turn.”

Why’d you save me?

A pause. He shifted to look to the side. Oh, this is interesting.

“You could have died.” Ah, this again.

“Well, you’ve died,” you remind him. “Not that it really stuck.”

He says your name — your real name. You wonder when he discovered your identity, but then again, you’re not all that surprised. It’s him after all.

He can see your growing smile the longer he refuses to answer your question. He knows you’re already thinking of something, and still opts to ignore your question, allowing you to further indulge in your thoughts. He dreads you enlightening him; he knows it’s coming. Jason could not fathom how one woman could frustrate him so much.

“You like me.” There it is, he thinks. There’s your stupid smirk and your dumb air of arrogance.

“Come on, just admit it, hot shot. You can’t live without me.” Okay, maybe that one’s a bit of a stretch (just a bit), but you stand by it nonetheless.

You grin wide as you approach him. Leaning slightly forward to grab Jason by the collar and pull him down to meet your eyes, you repeat yourself.

“You like me.” Stated with more emphasis, like a significant fact that you try to drill into your head when studying for an exam.

“I’ll shoot you.”

“Please, daddy.”

© smolla-than-a-bug, 2021. please do not copy or repost my works. reblogs are appreciated!

tags — @iwriteaboutstuff @comicsgirlimagines @httpfandxms

[vpyre]

From Above and Below, Face to Face and Behind (Grelle x Reader)

Anticipation. That was the feeling coursing through me, setting my nerves alight and sharpening my focus. My heart pounded in my ears and I grinned as I brandished my weapon -an elegant, double-bladed scythe- and dropped into a wide ready stance. I faced down a smirking Grelle and watched as she adjusted her scarlet coat with a flourish and readied her own weapon. I could’ve sensed her smug confidence from a mile away. She did, after all, have more experience than me since I’d only been a Reaper for a decade or two. I wasn’t about to chicken out though. I'd scored mostly A's in my intro training, and besides, you should never underestimate those with something to prove.

There was a second of charged stillness. Another. Then a flurry of movement as she surged towards me.

I ducked, and her roaring chainsaw came swinging through the air right where my head had been. I felt my pulse spike with the sudden rush of adrenaline, and my grin widened. Rolling with my momentum, I sprung up and went for a headbutt, but she spun away with graceful agility. As she turned; eyes shining with excitement, scarlet hair streaming out behind; her scythe followed in a streak of gleaming silver, arcing downwards at me.

There was no time to dodge it. Instinct kicked in and my own blade came up to meet it. The resulting CLANG sent a shockwave up my arms, but the sound itself was almost lost amid the cacophony of murmuring spectators, blows, grunts, and clashing Death Scythes echoing off the pale sparring room walls. Grimacing in discomfort, I angled my weapon down and away, which sent hers sliding off with an excruciating screech of metal on metal, overbalancing her. She stumbled and I swung down at her exposed back, but in a blur of speed, she recovered and snapped her chainsaw around behind her, intercepting my strike with another ringing crash.

Grelle's vibrant chartreuse eyes met mine over her shoulder and she languidly turned to face me as she held my scythe away with hers; a casual display of the immense strength her lithely muscled figure held. I saw my own ardor mirrored in the fire of her gaze, and there was a wildness to her razor smile as she drawled,

”I’m impressed, my dear! It’s only been a moment since we began and I very nearly fell head over heels. Though, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait if you want me on my knees for you.”

My racing heart skipped a beat at the thought, but I forced my mind back on track. If she thought she could throw me off with innuendo, she was mistaken (though I wasn't complaining. Seeing her on her knees would be a pretty picture indeed). I jumped back and out of reach before she could push her advantage.

“Don’t get too cocky. Pride comes before the fall, after all”, I snarked back as I lunged towards her, my scythe swinging. We matched each other blow for blow, dodging and leaping and whirling around the sparring court in a dangerous dance as the other reapers looked on. Gradually, I let my movements slow. I let dodges become near misses. I let her shove me back. But just as she wound up for a powerful swing that likely would have sent my scythe across the room, I dropped my act, dodged the hungry blade, and shoved it harder along its trajectory. With the combination of surprise and force, I sent her sprawling in a heap of limbs, fiery hair, and red fabric.

As soon as she hit the ground, I was looming over her. I pinned her to the ground, hands on her wrists to keep her from fighting back, knees straddling her hips to stop her from getting up.

“I told you you'd fall,” I said, narrowing my eyes and huffing out a quiet chuckle. “Don’t let your guard down, Darling, and don't get too confident. Things usually won't turn out the way you think they will.”

I took a moment to just look at her, her flushed face, her sultry gaze and smirk, and my confident air died on the spot. I shivered ever so slightly. Seeing her like this, blushing and trapped beneath me, was intoxicating. Her hair shone like the most priceless of rubies in the pale light of the room, her smooth lips were gently parted and so so inviting. Without really noticing, I tightened my grip on her wrists and pressed closer. The added pressure elicited a delightful little breathy whine from that enchanting mouth as she tilted her head back and shifted against me, back arching ever so slightly, body seeking out just the slightest bit more contact. The spectators became a distant memory in this haze of lurid heat. Distracted by the whole scenario, I didn't register right away that she was moving again. With two quick twists, she freed her wrists from my grasp, then tucked her legs and kicked me off.

Shit!

The moment broken, my ears reddened in frustrated embarrassment as I rolled away and to my feet. I had just chastised her for getting cocky! How big of an idiot did I have to be to forget my own warning? She'd played the whole thing up knowing full well that it would distract me, and it showed in the smugness that permeated her tone when she spoke,

"You really should take your own advice, Dearest. Pride comes before the fall, as they say, and it seems that you fell in more than one sense of the word. Besides, I'm not quite ready to be subdued yet, since I'm having so much fun with you!"

Oho. I'd show her.

Letting the threat of my intentions show with the tenfold return of my devilish smile, I felt a renewed vigor well up inside me. I had an ace up my sleeve, and now was the time to show my hand. Grelle's smug smirk faltered for the briefest of seconds, but it was enough to show me she knew I was up to something. Not giving her a chance to speculate or prepare, I sprung at her; but this time, instead of just lashing out with my double blade, I split it in half at the handle. This was my secret weapon, one that had served me well in days gone by, and one that no one knew about save for the dead. Two scythes gave me a singular style, a unique advantage, but that was not all. No, not at all. When using two blades that were usually one, I, naturally, needed to ensure that one half of my weapon couldn't be lost or knocked from my hand. The simple, rather useful solution to this problem was connecting the two with a chain of adjustable length. This chain seemed almost to respond to my thoughts, changing length as the situation demanded. It could be used as a simple convenience, as a weapon, or as a restraint. It truly was one of the finest made scythes I'd yet encountered (along with Grelle's and Undertaker's, of course).

Now as I sailed through the air, bearing down on a dumbfounded Grelle, the long, silvery chain flew out behind me, glinting in the harsh lighting with a delicate scintillation that belied its strength. On seeing the chain, she must have made a certain sort of connection, likely rather indecent, judging by the color of her cheeks. I huffed a small laugh. How prophetic. After I win, we’re definitely going to get some use out of it. I slashed down hard with my scythes, catching her off guard and forcing her a few steps back. She shot a glare at me over our crossed weapons, and I responded by giving her my biggest, most innocent smile. It probably came off as more of a shit-eating grin, but it did the trick.

She shoved her scythe harder against mine in an attempt to throw me off, but being caught off guard and in a flustered sort of state, she hadn't thought far enough ahead to realize she'd be leaving herself open. Seizing the opportunity, I brought one of my blades around the other side of her chainsaw and yanked, wrenching it from her grasp and sending it spinning away over the ground. She staggered, and I landed a well-aimed kick to her stomach, likely knocking the breath out of her if the huff she let out was any indication. To keep from falling, she leapt backwards, and I pulled out another surprise. Literally, I pulled one end of the chain off its handle. As she flew back, I lashed out with it, fully expecting her to block it, but she made no move to defend herself before it whipped her across the cheek. I might've imagined it, but I thought I heard a yelp underneath the noise and chaos of the sparring area. I flinched as her head jerked to the side.

Oh god, I hope I didn't hurt her!

She landed on her feet, but she remained hunched over, trembling, with one hand on her poor cheek and the other holding her stomach. My energetic fervor evaporated and rained down as worry.

What if she's really injured?!

I'd just taken a step toward her to check when she lifted her head slightly. She certainly didn't look pained. In fact, she seemed to be blushing. Her gaze was intense, yet unfocused; and as I watched, she ran her fingers across her cheek closed her eyes. It looked very much like she was fighting valiantly to hold back something untamable; and though she was trying to hide it, her breathing came in wavering gasps as she struggled to compose herself.

Ah. Uhm... Fuck. I knew where this was going.

I tried to back off a little, unsure if I should risk keeping this up while there were other reapers watching, but Grelle seemed to sense my hesitation, and she was having none of it. Her head snapped up and her eyes narrowed and refocused. She darted past me, snatched up her scythe, and took a wild swing at me; one that I batted aside easily enough, but she kept coming.

Oh, so that's how you want to play it. Time to put my knowledge to good use.

My "knowledge" stemmed from something she'd told me one night when I was tipsy and she was dead drunk. We'd simply been friends then (though that had changed soon after), and we'd gone out drinking with Ronald and Othello after work. Ronald disappeared an hour in; probably to go throw up, and Othello wandered off to poke at this newfangled "radio" thing. We were talking about our experiences as trainees, and it sent her off on a spiel about her first reaping with William. She told me everything. Including every detail of her fight with him and what it led her to discover about herself. And alas, as is wont to happen, since she was blackout drunk she forgot pretty much the entire night and woke up with, "One of the most awful hangovers of my life. I felt like I was dying!"

I remembered though. At the time, I was insanely jealous, but now... Now I had a plan. And I was feeling downright devious.

So she wanted to play it rough? I'd give her rough. She wanted to continue, even with reapers there? I'd give them a show. Smirking, I threw all my weight against our locked scythes, forcing her back for a moment, then pushed her chainsaw away with one blade and swung the other at her unguarded torso. She just managed to catch my arm in time, but in one quick movement, I broke her grip and grabbed both her wrists. Through pushing her backwards, we'd ended up near enough to the wall for me to slam her into it, pinning her wrists above her head. The feigned defiance on her face might've been intimidating if her every mannerism wasn't contradicting it.

"I know what you're trying to do, Darling," I intoned, reveling in the way I could feel her knees weaken at my tone. "You get off on the passion of battle, the pleasure of pain, the high of being brought low. It shows. You might be able to fool them for a while," a discreet gesture to the small crowd, "but you aren't fooling me. Now fight back so they don't get wise to your predicament."

Helpless desire dancing in her stare, she murmured, "Oh, y/n Darling, you really know how to get me fired up!"

With a grunt, she freed her wrists, braced her back on the wall, and shoved me off with a solid kick. I sprung back to keep from stumbling, then rushed at her, scythe raised. We traded rapid blows, but I never let her put me on the defense, and I never let myself waver. Hers was a doomed endeavor from the start. Knowing what I knew, there was no way I'd let such a chance slip through my fingers, and I think she felt the same. She was barely putting up a fight at this point, and it felt so good to see her just aching for me to take her down. With every swing, a bit more of Grelle's composure was chipped away and a bit more of her desperate need bled through. The sight of her coming undone was wearing my own restraint to the bone. The lustful miasma welled up again; dense around us, within us, permeating the air and every particle of our being. I wanted to drown in it, surrender to the frenzy it promised, let it grow until it was all that existed.

Unable to hold off any longer, I called on what she'd confessed to me that hazy, drunken night. I slowed my attacks, lifted my scythe, and swung hard from above. When she intercepted it, she let out a small sound of distressed want that only fueled the fire in my core. I let my blade glance off, then brought it back from below. She was panting hard now, and one look at her face was enough to tell me that she wasn't going to last much longer. With a thrill of excitement, I locked eyes with her and struck; first from the right, then the left. I saw the exact moment she realized what I was doing, her electric green eyes widened as I moved to dash around behind her. I poured all my pent-up passion into my kick, striking her square in the small of her back.

Time seemed to slow as she sailed through the air in a graceful arc, the elegant arch of her back strikingly erotic. She threw her head back and let loose a ringing cry of pure, exquisite ecstasy that dug needle-sharp claws into my last shred of self-control and tore it to useless pieces. Thank the high heavens the other reapers had taken the hint and made themselves scarce, because goddamn if the palpable steam of lust in the air and that sound (Oh god, that sound) didn't absolutely destroy my inhibitions. I strode towards the trembling goddess on the ground in front of me, wave after wave of raging heat crashing through me in anticipation of what was coming. Her half-closed, yearning eyes wrapped a tether around my soul, drawing me ever nearer.

As soon as I got close enough, I was on her. I dropped to my knees bestride her hips, pinned her slender body with my own, roughly tangled my fingers in her hair, and yanked her into a desperate, hungry kiss. At the sharp pull of my hand through her hair, she groaned in pleasure against my mouth, a noise that had my already spinning thoughts careening out of control. When I nipped at her lip, she whimpered and my mind went blank. I tried to undo the buttons on her shirt with my shaking hands, but I couldn't get a good enough grip. This is taking too long!

Pulling away, I let out a frustrated growl, grabbed the sides, and ripped it open. Buttons popped and clattered free and fabric gave way beneath my fingers until I could toss what was left off to the side and run my hands over her tantalizingly smooth skin. No matter how many times I saw it, her body never ceased to steal my breath away. All slim, firm muscle and soft angles, hard lines and curves. She was a contradiction in every sense of the word, and she was beautiful.

I pressed my mouth intently against hers again as I slid my hands up from her hips and over her firm stomach, exploring every inch of her flawless skin as heat welled up in me. I couldn’t get enough of the sensation of touching her, of running my hands over her body, of just being able to touch her anywhere and everywhere. My desire was an irresistible force, guiding me higher and higher; as I went, I dragged my nails over her skin, relishing the way she shivered. I palmed her breasts through her bra and squeezed ever so slightly. She squirmed beneath me, pressing into my hands as she entwined her fingers in my hair, intensifying the kiss. Teeth clacked and tongues brushed, and it was electrifying.

I slipped my hands beneath her bra, searching desperately for any and every scrap of contact, of closeness. Anything. Everything. I stroked my thumbs over the tips of her nipples and she whined, a delightful little sound that brought buzzing, blazing lust surging up from where it pulsed in my core. I needed more of those sounds, needed them like I used to need air to breathe. I needed to hear her wail and moan and gasp and scream, needed to hear my name on her lips at the very height of her pleasure.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I broke our kiss and propped myself up, silencing her noise of protest with a smoldering stare that held the promise of everything I’d just imagined. I eyed her chest, watching the way it rose and fell with her rapid breaths, then looked back up. We locked eyes as I snaked my hand under her and undid the clasp of her bra. I held her gaze as I slid its straps off her shoulders and tossed it away, then lowered my head.

As soon as I started running my tongue over her nipple, she let out a ragged gasp and grabbed fistfuls of my shirt, spurring me on. I licked and sucked and worried it with my teeth, sending shivers through her body and eliciting whimpers from her mouth. I knew I’d found a sensitive spot when she cried out and arched her back, digging her fingers into my waist. I kept at it -all the while letting my hands wander lower and lower over her figure- until she was shaking like a leaf and I could feel the wetness of her arousal through her pants. I fiddled with the zipper, having a hard time functioning in the consuming blaze of my desire; but stopped when Grelle grabbed my hand.

”Wait.”

Anxiety cascaded over me like a bucket of ice water and I sat up abruptly. Oh shit, oh fuck, did I do something wrong? We’ve done this before, but did I somehow misread the situa-

“I want to see you, to touch you, too.”

I blinked down at her, then relaxed with a relieved huff. I guided her hands to my chest, to the buttons of my shirt. As she finished undoing them, she leaned in and brushed her lips against my throat, right over my racing pulse. Her touch on my neck and my chest was like fire, and I nipped at her ear in response, shrugging out of my shirt and bra. The sinful heat sunk into my skin and suffused my voice as I whispered,

”Now would be a good time to put my chain to good use, don’t you think? Don’t worry, I won’t tie up your hands, you can still touch me. What I’ll do is restrain you in a way that won’t let you close your legs or interrupt me while I have my way with you. Would you like that?”

Her eyes fluttered closed. “Yes, love,” Grelle breathed out as I hooked my fingers into the waistband of her pants and began to work them off, along with her panties. Her arousal was plain to see, and I couldn’t resist brushing my fingers over her slick skin; slowly, sensually. Her whole body twitched in response and she ground into my hand, letting out a breathy moan. If she was already this sensitive, I couldn’t wait for what was to come. With no small effort, I dragged my hand and my attention away then slipped out of my own pants, basking in her attentive, hungry gaze. I reached for the chain that had so conveniently wound up nearby. For a moment there was no sound but our lust-heavy breaths and the clinking of the chain links as I wrapped them around her spread legs and bare torso in an intricate pattern, watching the goosebumps rise on her skin in response to the touch of the cold metal and the thought of what it meant for her. When I finished, I tugged at the chain to make sure it held.

“Does that feel alright?” I asked. I didn’t want to hurt her any more than she wanted me to.

“It feels wonderful,” came the breathless reassurance. “Being exposed and helpless before you... it's thrilling.”

“And seeing you so eager for this is thrilling for me too, darling,” I murmured darkly before pulling her in for a kiss that emanated passion, caressing her face then continuing down. Down over her shoulders and chest and stomach, down to where she wanted me most. She cupped my breasts and thumbed my nipples, sending tingles of pleasure through my body, spurring me on. No more hesitation. I plunged two of my fingers into her soaked cunt and was rewarded with a muffled groan of pure rapture, sweet against my mouth. I stroked my fingers over that one spot I knew would absolutely undo her, my thrumming arousal consuming every inch of me at the torturously salacious sound she made. I reveled in the way her whole body shook as I pleasured her, in how wet she already was for me, in the way she threw her head back with each movement inside her. I kept up a steady rhythm, then I brushed my thumb over her clit and began rubbing circles around it, denying her the complete pleasure of my touch on the more sensitive center, but giving her just enough to intensify her bliss to the point of near delirium. I tugged sharply on her hair with my other hand, and she cried out, nails digging into my back and leaving marks on my skin.

Almost at the edge, at the peak of it all, her noises of rapture were music to my ears. A wild symphony, a rhapsody, my feverish magnum opus. Her legs strained at their bonds and her skin glistened with sweat, so close, so desperate. Nearer and nearer, nearly there. I brought my head down to pleasure her with my tongue. I needed to be closer to her, to taste her euphoria as she came. I slid my tongue in and out, finally stroking directly over her center the way she so longed for. Each brush of my tongue sent a shudder through her. Her legs twitched and trembled and her breath came in sharp, ragged, appetent gasps.

"Darling, plea- aah! Please! I'm going to-!"

She came with a wail of unadulterated ecstacy, spasms rocking her entire body, legs jerking in the throes of her climax. Her come was ambrosia on my tongue, sweet and heady as I took it all, working her through her high until she was just on the verge of oversensitive. I raised my head, gaze travelling up her body, limp with exhaustion and satisfaction, to rest on her flushed face. The look in her eyes about melted my heart with the amount of pure affection and deep passion it radiated, and I poured every ounce of my own emotion into a slow, sincere kiss. When we parted, I rested my forehead against hers and closed my eyes, just savoring the stillness and affection that suffused the air. She was so beautiful. No matter how hard I tried -and I tried- I could not find words worthy of her. She was indescribable, and I could only hope she could see and feel my reverence in this moment. This moment, and every other moment of every other day. Her eyes told me she did. In them, I could see my feelings reflected back at me, could see that she understood and that she loved me just as much as I did her. Where words failed, our bond did not.

She smiled a bit, just a small upturn of her mouth, and said,

"That was wonderful, love, but you can't expect me to take so much pleasure from you without letting me return the favor. I want to show you just how much I adore you."

[quirkynkind]

Love All Year: Photo Day

Zen, Yoosung, Saeyoung, Saeran , Jaehee, Jumin and Jihyun along with CMCs: Lea, Eunji, Byeol, Lumen and Heidi.

SFW | Suggestive Content and Swearing

September 14th is Photo Day: While taking photos with one another (whether via photo booth or professional studio) is a regular occurrence, September 14's Photo Day gives couples an official reason to do so. (Source)

Masterlist | Get Tagged

Flipping my pony tail over one shoulder then the other. Posing, kneeling on the couch utilizing a table side lamp along with what natural light I could grab from the only window across the room. Phone held above my head enjoying the dynamic angles I could achieve from this mildly awkward body positioning. Snapping off a burst of pictures. Flopping back to sit I hear a giggle break the silence. “That looked really serious.” Standing in our bedroom doorway Lea is grinning having just watched my entire performance.

“My torso looks amazing.” Eyes flicking up to her gesturing with my head to cross and join me. To my surprise Lea falls down into my lap. Planting a quick kiss on my chin before turning her attention to my actions on my cell. The small weight of her form melds into mine and I relax back. Arms wrapping around her as I continue working.

“You up to something special darling? It looked a little more involved then your usual Outstagram shoot?” Smirking as Lea takes it upon herself to start to scroll through the new photos, studying them all closely, a critical look on her lovely face.

“I want the perfect attention grabbing shot for my announcement.” Stilling in her work at my proclamation. Leaning back to look up at me confusion on Lea’s face.

“What announcement Zen? I don’t recall we were getting ready to reveal any new projects?” Burying my nose in her hair, my long fingers running teasingly between her thighs.

“Hmmm, well you know it’s almost photo day? Your beloved boyfriend might have booked a special shoot with Rui that day. One I plan to spam all over my Outstagram.” Tossing my phone to the side, my body pulsating with excitement at the news of my surprise. The hand that had been holding my cell drifting up my girlfriend’s shirt to tease along the lace at the top of her bra. “My first picture day with you. We’re going to look jaw dropping.” Wistful tone as I playfully squeeze her clothed breast in my large hand. Usually Lea is very receptive to my touch today she jerked away and from the look on her face I could tell she wasn’t happy.

“Hyun- '' Flinching I know both the tone and the look I was being leveled with. My girlfriend hated having to deny me anything. To say she spoiled me rotten would be an understatement but somehow I’d crossed some kind of line with what I hoped was going to be happy information. “I’d love to do the photoshoot with you. Rui is always kind to us but you know you can’t post the pictures on Outstagram again.” Reaching out to grip the side of my face this time it was me that lurched back from her.

“But it’s my social media and I was going to make an announcement and make a big deal out of a rare appearance by you. I think my fans will like it.” The volume of my voice rising as I feel heat rush to my face. Already aware what Lea’s answer was going to be because my agency and their PR department was always in conflict with me about something.

“Baby, you remember clearly how furious they got after Valentine’s Day. They threatened to reevaluate your contract. Please don’t push them again. At least not until after you’re established a little bit more as a drama actor and we hopefully have a little wiggle room for demands.” The concern heavy in Lea’s voice doesn’t waylay my surge of emotions like it usually would.

“I need to move.” Squeaking in surprise as I stand and scoop Lea up in my arms before depositing her back on the couch. ‘I’m going out for a run.” It had been a long time since I’d exercised angry. Maybe since I injured myself prior to Echogirl. Generally I could talk to Lea but I knew her stance on this would not change. She’d give me my every whim until it came to me being pig headed about my career. I would work myself to the bone for my art but I always wanted to bend the rules for her.

“Hyun please, can we talk about this or-“ Lea had pulled herself up to stand grabbing for my forearm. Gesturing towards the bedroom with her head at her suggestion. The denial was like a cold spray of water. I was insatiable until I was furious and then I just wanted to escape.

“I need to go out. I need to be alone.” Voice hard, even in my anger I’m gentle as I remove Lea’s grip from me. Kissing her finger tips before returning to getting changed. Maybe I was throwing a temper tantrum. I knew I wasn’t going to get my way in this instance and it infuriates me. The fact anyone can dictate anything about my relationship with Lea boils my blood.

“Zen, you know going out mad is not a good idea.” Practically begging me, Lea tugs plaintive on the back of my shirt.

“I need to figure things out in my head Lea, please let me go.” Fighting hard to maintain control. Refusing to scare the smaller woman. When her hold falls away I feel a clench in my heart at having to bicker with her about this on top of my annoyance about my agency. “I won’t be gone long.” Turning I grab her in a hard kiss. Growling into her lips I don’t want her to think I’m mad at her.

“I’ll be waiting when you get back my love.” Looking forlorn when I break away again, but accepting. Lea slowly turns to wander back to the couch. I stomp into our bedroom to get ready to go.

Four miles in, sweat beading and running freely down my taunt body. The dull satisfying ache in my thighs from my exertion doing nothing for me today. My stomach still flopping around and my heart feeling cold, I couldn’t focus on anything. Drawing to a pause and stopping my music, breathing hard I let out a roar of frustration. A dog barks someone in the distance in reply but other than him the street is quiet. Hands on my quadriceps leaning over I’m still livid.

When my life had just been me, I’d drifted along just accepting a lot of these random rules laid out for me by other people. Who I should be seen with, who I shouldn’t. What type of clothes I should wear to what event. Things completely out of the realm of acting or theater. All matters that had never meant anything to me but I’d went along with in hopes of favorable attention and the chance to get on another stage.

Both my agency’s and most of my directors made very little qualms about telling me my looks were the majority of my popularity. I’d like to think with some careful decisions in roles I’m slowly starting to change that but still I wasn’t a fool. My pictures still sold as the most solid portion of my merchandising. The average person would rather look at my face than see me deliver a monologue.

Lea got in the way of their fantasies. It was a fact I was told often, sometimes directly in front of her. Rude people had even had the gall to tell us she was holding me back. It depressed me that she was forced to hear these things. Even if I told her and deep down I knew she could tell they were not true we were both only human and it wore on us. Music is still muted. I start off at a light jog again, willing the movement to take away my muddle of thoughts only today it wasn’t working.

Times like Picture Day might seem silly to some people. They might even seem ridiculous to my girlfriend who I know humors me with them. It was these times that I was able to just be her Hyun, her boyfriend without all the other pressures. Was it too much to ask for just one day a month where she could just be my girlfriend. Lea was an incredible manager. The way she intuitively cared for both my career and me was priceless but I frequently wanted something more for her and to be denied such a simple thing as sharing our beauty with the world. It left me unable to make amends with my feelings.

Slowing to a halt, I let out a hard laugh. Almost like it’s mocking me ahead is a billboard on the side of a bus stand, of me. From an ad I’d been so excited to do for a whiskey company. Lea had worked for weeks making connections and getting me a conversation with them. The two of us figured out how to craft my image to appeal to their higher class clientele. Stalking forward glaring openly at my own visage. Perfectly posed, flawless with makeup and touch ups. Looking suggestively at my audience, drink in hand. Men would want to be me, alluring, masculine and women would want to fuck me making them buy the product for their significant other to live out their fantasy. All typical marketing tactics. At the time I’d been happy to play the game. This was a product I liked and I rarely got offered endorsement work I was actually interested in.

Currently, pulling down my face mask I frown sternly. “This is your fault.” Fists balling I grunt exasperated and hurt. “Everything that I’ve struggled with in life that has gone wrong is because of you.” The volume of my voice rises as the pace of my breathing quickens. “If I’d been born with all my talent but a slightly less beautiful face. Maybe my family wouldn’t have ostracized me. Maybe I could be taken seriously as a performer. Maybe the majority of my fan club wouldn’t think I was owned by them and I could give Lea a halfway normal relationship.” Fat tears well up in my eyes blurring the picture. My guts churn, thinking about all the past couples I’ve seen online for the holiday. How happy they always looked. How in love. Breaking my own heart that no matter how much I want the same thing I’ll probably never have it because I’ve been cursed by my outrageously good looks.

“Have you brought me anything good? I had to run away from home because my own mother tried to damage my appearance. I’ve gotten talked about behind my back since I started working because people think my face is the only reason I get roles. I struggle to make genuine friends because people feel intimidated. I finally meet someone who sees beyond just my beauty but now I have to fucking deny her everything sweet I want to give her. Why?” I can feel the tears streaming down. I'm practically pressing my nose into the glass. “FUCK”, it barely registers when I hit the billboard. The dull thump of my fist punching my reflection in the eye echoes in the empty street. Crying, swinging, it feels like every emotion I’ve been bottling up for maybe years is bleeding out of me.

Jolting to a stop the moment I see blood in my line of vision. Chest heaving lifting my arms I’m horrified to see I’ve cracked the skin on multiple knuckles on both my hands. “Fuck”, only now I sound defeated, small. No longer the roar of fury but the bleat of loss. Frantic I glance around, but unless someone is watching me out a window I at least had enough sense to pick the right street for my outburst. Jerking my face mask back up, my eyes downcast I take off at a fast pace again to home.

Creeping in the door, cradling my more damaged right hand, scanning for my girlfriend. Uncertain what I actually think I’m going to do because it’s not like our apartment is really big enough for me to hide from her. “Zen?” Curiosity in her voice as I’m very slowly attempting to quietly close the door. My expression is sheepish when I turn to meet her. Looking quizzical, Lea seems to be attempting to gage where my mood is after my exercise.

“Hey babe,” Hands subtly drift behind my back, trying to maintain a nonchalant air. Eyes narrowing as Lea studies my face. It wasn’t just that I was naturally a very expressive man but Lea could always seem to read my thoughts. Most of the time I loved that. At the moment I wished I could crawl into a hole.

“What happened darling?” Not anger but worry about my appearance. Sighing I know it’s pointless to minimize my injury. Hang dogged look I hold out both my hands knuckles facing out to her for Lea to see my handiwork.

“Hyun,” horror in both her eyes and her voice. Crossing the room swiftly, gently taking my offered appendages. “Oh baby, what did you do to yourself?” Lifting to kiss my uninjured finger tips. “Zen,” pained, I can see words she wants to say but are holding back. Remorse is clear in my expression. Everything just feels like shit at this moment, except her. The way she leads me to sit at the kitchen table before running into our bathroom. Returning with armfuls of products to fix up my cuts. “At least you're between roles right now. We’ll treat these wounds aggressively so they heal quickly for you.”

Pulling another chair closer to sit right next to me, I watch Lea work diligently on her task. “I’m sorry angel. I know this was stupid-“

“It wasn’t a person right? And do you feel better?” Maintaining focus on her task, I can’t help but let out a short laugh as she asks.

“It was a picture of me.” That stops her. Gaze lifting to assess the meaning behind the information I’d just shared.

“Do you want to talk about it, Hyun?” Deft, delicate finger tips tracing along the back of my hand. It never fails to amaze me how easily I can feel our connection from just a touch. How grounded Lea always makes me feel.

“You know why I’m upset. We both know it won’t change. I feel like running through all of it again will just piss me off more. I chose this life, you chose and accepted me. This is the part that sucks” Heavy thoughts drench me. Deflated, wincing from the sting of the disinfectant. Almost daily I tell Lea I want to give her the world. It’s a joke I can’t even give her the ability to publicly be my girlfriend.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up and change Zen. Then I’ll finish bandaging you up. I canceled our appointment with Rui but we’re having dinner with Jihyun and Heidi tonight. He’s going to take some shots for us beforehand.” Brushing my bangs out of my face before leaning up Lea presses a fond kiss to my forehead. Inside my mind is racing from the news she’d just shared.

“But why did you cancel our appointment? I mean I’m grateful Jihyun would take photos of us. You know I think he’s the best but are we just going to not celebrate Photo Day now?” Clearly whining, feeling strung out. I don’t want to be disappointed by anything else this afternoon.

“I have different plans for our holiday Zen. I’m hoping you can see that sometimes quality is better than quantity.” The cryptic words do nothing to dissuade my rushing thoughts

“Is what we’re doing in theme with the day?” Usually I was a fan of surprises but at the moment I just needed to know I was going to get some sort of celebration.

“Do you trust me Zen?” Soft and devoted, her smile is the first thing to placate my shattered nerves. Of course Lea would ask that question. The one statement she knows I won’t be able to combat.

“With my very life cherub.” This time when Lea nuzzles close she presses her lips to mine and it’s heaven.

“Then go get cleaned up my love.” Hovering, her breath tickles my cheeks. Smitten, Lea can make me stupidly hers in moments, I nod.

“As you wish, my darling girl.”

It was an early morning, Lea forcing me to behave and get ready as we had to be out the door at an unusual hour. Not what I’d had in mind for picture day but if I was with my girlfriend I could excuse our missed workout and rushing to some secret location. When the taxi took us to a small nondescript store front I was even more baffled. Maybe I would have even been concerned except watching the glow in the face of my angel. It hit me that whatever she had planned she was absolutely over the moon about it.

“Can I cover your eyes darling?” Something in my brain fizzed out. My girlfriend is practically wiggling in excitement. It feels like my heart is seizing in my chest.

“I’m at your mercy princess.” Pushing back her curls, purposely dragging my lips along the auricle of her ear. Smirking at the shudder in her breath. Biting her cute little pink tongue peeking at me from between her cherry colored lips. Grunting I want to steal it, but remembering I’ve already been reminded three separate times today to be good. Instead I lounge, inclined forward hands drifting down into my pockets watching my twittering little lamb hunt around in her purse. Ever the picture of the patient and dutiful boyfriend.

Lea had come prepared, pulling out a scarf from her bag after a short search. Giggling as I waggle my eyebrows at her with a flirty purse of my lips. Air kissing her. Standing attentively as Lea covers my eyes with the fabric and ties it tight enough to hold without being uncomfortable. “Can you see anything Zen?”

“No I can’t. I’m such an obedient boy I even closed my eyes. Do I get a reward?” Voice lilting up, raising both my hands to frame my face cutely. Thrilled when Lea’s immediate reply is to press her lips into my waiting ones. It had surprised me she’d been able to deny my charms for this long. Maybe I was losing my touch?

“No more temptation baby.” Running her thumb along my lips I assume trying to clean up her lipstick. “Can you hold my shoulder? I’ll lead you in?” Her hand grips mine, lifting it to her body. Gently holding her arm I nod affirmation.

“I’m your willing servant M’lady.” Picturing Lea was blushing, she didn’t know what to do with herself when I was submissive to her whims.

“Darling Zen?” Pausing, working together Lea indicates we are going in a door and assists me in not getting trapped in it.

“Yes, my baby?” The air inside the building tastes a little stale. Like this place wasn’t used as often. As soon as Lea drew to a second stop I captured her in my arms.

“Are you ready for your surprise, my Adonis?” Squirming in my grip, Lea licks my chin and I let out a nosy groan. Chiding myself for not having the brilliant idea to turn photo day into a sexy movie making day until this moment. Maybe I could make up for being a slave to my agency next year with that.

“Please, my princess. I can’t even imagine what we’re doing.” Soft hands fiddle around my face as the cloth falls away. Gasping, we are standing in a large room with minimal mood lighting, but spaced aesthetically along each wall is photo after photo of Lea and myself. Together, with our friends, outside, inside, the party, it was like a storybook of everything we’ve experienced together since meeting. It was magical. “Lea what is this?” Awe in my tone, slowly turning trying to drink in every detail of us.

“It’s my picture day gift to the love of my life. I never want you to hate any part of yourself Zenny. You are the most dear and real individual I’ve ever had. I’d move the universe to give you what you desire.” It hadn’t taken long for me to tell Lea the entire story about my run that day. The careful and delicate consideration she has treated me with since. The pampering I’ve received. It made me want to misbehave more to get even more attention.

“But if it weren’t for these devilish good looks Jagiya things would be so much easier.” Pouting, pushing, seeing what else I can get. Shaking her head Lea was also well aware when I was fishing.

“Even with your delectable appearance my darling, we have a perfect life. With perfect friends. Yoosung and the twins helped me put together what pictures to use. Jihyun helped find and arrange this place, “Jaehee helped organize everything and Jumin- well he paid for it all.” Sheepish Lea laughs. “And we’re not the only ones here to enjoy this little exhibition either.” Beckoning me with her finger, Lea starts to move towards a doorway and I realize there is another room in the rear of this one. Curious, I followed her clasping hands as we strolled into what was the larger part of his building which had to be a gallery from the set up.

“Surprise!” Half hearted laughter as upon entering Yoosung and Saeyoung yell out the word. Everyone glanced up at us at our entrance. Jihyun and Heidi to one side where from their positions I can tell he was just explaining something about the picture they were in front of. Jumin Han appeared to be dictating something while making poor Jaehee work instead of just enjoying the holiday. Tables of snacks and drinks including my favorite beer. Saeran is hanging next to them with his girlfriend who I just recently met for the first time, Lumen. They seemed to be feeding one another some of the sweets. Saeyoung and Yoosung were also hovering near the tables with Eunji and Byeol. It looked like they had all been making conversation but the second we entered Yoosung broke away. He was coming to hug my girlfriend because he knows it bugged the shit out of me.

“Happy picture day guys.” Bright smile from the younger blonde as he did just what I suspected he would. Opening his arms and Lea broke away from me to say hello. The smug grin Yoosung graces me with is met by a look of loathing from me. Behind Yoosung, Saeyoung chortles.

“Someone doesn’t like to share.” Glaring as Lea immediately glances back at me. The fond smile that graces her face causes a chain reaction in me. Pulling away from Yoosung with a squeeze to his hand Lea returns to my side wrapping her arms around me as I grin triumphantly at my friend.

“You keep spoiling him like that and he will become impossible.” The droll voice of Saeran breaks my mood. Smirking from where he is presenting Lumen with a truffle. Laughter from the Choi side of the room answered by an exasperated noise from behind me.

“I think that scenario is already a given.” Jumin is smirking himself brow raised and I glower, Lea’s grip tightening around me the only reason I don’t launch in a tirade.

“We’re here for a celebration.” Quiet and steady, Jihyun’s soft tone stilled the more raucous noise. “Happy picture day to you both.” Inclining his head at us as Heidi, smiling gracefully tucked into his side.

“The photos from the other night came out perfect.” Excited, I’d watched her and Lea quietly talk to each other while Jihyun had set up the pictures. It wouldn’t surprise me if my princess was more concerned with my actions then she’d let on or that she’d share her worries with our friends. Heidi I’m certain was hoping the positive news would change my mood.

“And we picked out good choices too.” Eunji’s bright voice drew my attention back to the other side of the room. “And I even stopped Saeyoung from picking photos of you sneezing.” Giggling as Eunji shrugs at her own teasing.

“And it wasn’t easy, you know how persistent he can be.” Rolling her eyes playfully, Byeol pokes the red head.

“Obviously my choices are the best ones.” Giggling himself Saeyoung points over to the corner where I can see a photo of a group of us doing silly poses fully decked out after one of our parties.

“Can we get started? I don’t understand the point of this holiday anyway and it was my understanding the reason we all had to gather was because Zen is incapable of behaving in public.” Jumin had pulled out his cell phone slowly scrolling across the screen.

“Sir that’s not entirely accurate-“ Vaguely I’m aware of Jaehee coming to my defense as my brain fizzles down to the color red. Fury at the wanton disregard of my pain, tensing not certain what action I was about to take but ready to strike back at the robot judging me.

“Hyun.” Desperate, her voice and the press of Lea’s form directly into the front of my mine blocking my path shakes my sudden outrage. “Look at me baby.” Dainty hands that hold me stronger than a vice, bring my gaze down to hers. Losing myself in Lea’s dark pools feeling my breathing automatically slow to match hers. Shaking her head demure in her warning.

“Fuck you Jumin Han.” Throwing venom at the raven haired man as he gazes cooly at me from above his phone screen.

“I see you prove my point.” Lea’s bristling in my arms turned swiftly.

“Guy’s this is supposed to be a day for us to all get together, let's not fight.” Yoosung’s plea breaking out from the side of where we are standing.

“Typical, this whole group is such a mess.”

“You’re not helping Saeran.” The sharp tone of Byeol quickly cut in.

“Baby, let's go for a walk. Let them figure out their own shit.” Low voice as with a smirk Saeran leans into his girlfriend pushing her hair behind her ear. Running his finger tips down and along her exposed collar bone. Brow cocked his eyes burning as they fell on her lips. Lumen wiped a small smug of chocolate off her boyfriend’s cheek, licking her thumb, glancing between Jumin and myself before nodding coyly with a grin.

“Maybe take a little something for ourselves?” Gesturing towards the table, Saeran follows, laughing lowly.

“I love the way you think princess.” Balancing an entire platter of truffles with one hand as Saeran’s other arm firmly wraps around Lumen’s waist, his fingers digging possessively into her hip. The two saunter out of the room. Lumen leaves all of us with a small wave. The show of their departure having dulled the anger hanging heavy prior. Frowning up at Jumin he’s now pointedly ignoring me.

“Let’s go look at our pictures baby,” But Lea’s already there. Tightly clutching the side of my shirt anchoring us together.

“I want to show you my favorite first Zen.” Yoosung’s bound up next to her. Powerless against them both, I nod as I allow myself to be led away. Out of the corner of my eye I see Jihyun and Heidi crossing to Jumin. Winking at me Heidi nods towards the CEO in line and I know they are going to handle whatever just occurred to smooth things over. Mouthing my gratitude I’m very glad to instead focus my attention on my princess tickling her sides as she squeaks and attempts to run from me jovially.

Pausing I watch Saeyoung moving towards the food with both the ladies with him. “I don’t think your brother had an altruistic purpose but thank him for breaking the tension for me.” Brows knitting for a moment Saeyoung forces out a laugh that’s a little too hard. It seemed his relationship with his twin was still progressing slowly. Making a mental note I’d have to get together with him soon so we could talk about it.

“Yeaaah. I’ll let him know.” Eunji grabbed Saeyoung’s hand, squeezing it with a sweet smile of concern, painting her lovely face. Golden eyes shining, Saeyoung follows his lips creeping back up into a grin soothed by the light of his sun and stars.

Yoosung stopped us in front of a piece that was also one of my favorite pictures of the three of us. Lea and I had taken him out the night before his birthday so we could celebrate him turning another year older at midnight together. Yoosung had of course gotten a little tipsy and it was the two of us singing a drinking song and dancing, with Lea very obviously laughing at us. The picture had been taken by someone at the next table and the lightning in the bar was very flattering. It was such a perfect representation of our relationship, together, everyone looked so happy. It had been such a good night. Looking at the photos at either side it hits me how many amazing memories are contained in this room.

“I can’t picture how hard it is Zen to not be able to share the things you want to. I think we’re the most alike in that we both really wanted relationships where we could have these goofy romantic times and now you get the chance to do them and I know I’d be mad if it was denied to me because of the other big love in my life.” At my side I can see my girlfriend encouraging Yoosung to continue and it dawns on me. Of course she’d probably spoken to everyone else but she’d turned to him for help. He was the person both of us were closest to and spent enough time with us that he’d definitely become our third wheel.

“But don’t you think Zen at the end of the day you do get to share everything you want to with the people that actually matter. I know you have a lot of Outstagram followers and you get more everyday but we’re your family.” Heartfelt and actually profound, the comment sets my thoughts into a momentary whirl. For so long I’d been caught up in having the perfect standard relationship like you’d see in a movie or read in a book. Expectations for things we’d do or say at certain times and events that would happen.

“I’m still disappointed you have to make accommodations for my career Lea.” There it was. That was the heart of the matter for me. Lea tried to reshape the universe to give me everything I desired. Shouldn’t she be frustrated with me or mad and shouldn’t she blame me?”

“Oh my darling,” playing with my hair the way she was watching me like I was the most treasured being in her world. It set my heart into a rapid beat. “I love you, for you, for this handsome face that strikes me stupid almost daily, your bold heart that takes my breath away. I never accommodate anything in my life for you. Hyun you accentuate everything beautiful and good and you bring me a never ending bliss.”

“We’re all glad to know you Zen. Even Jumin, who will never admit it. You’re an important part of our family.” Bowled over by a tsunami of emotions. I find myself just staring up at the picture we are in front of biting my lip feeling tears pricking the sides of my eyes. My entire life I’d been alone on some level. Often told I wasn’t good enough or unwanted. Maybe at the end of the day that’s what I’d most been looking for. Validation I did belong and that I was here and that I loved this woman at my side with an audacity that frightened me. But I was seen and understood every single day by the people that did genuinely matter to me.

“My love-“ Her fixated attention on me wavered as Lea gripped my forearm signaling me to look behind us. Yoosung’s head lifted and he gasped before it melted down into a grin of fondness. Spinning I too stopped. Jihyun was behind us a few feet and in his arms he held my favorite picture from the ones we’d taken a few days ago. Blown up, framed. The picture currently in our living room of us, my past favorite from our first party, was romantic but felt more posed, less authentic. Jihyun had captured our essence. Out of nowhere that day I’d swung Lea up sideways across my shoulders. It was a cheeky move I sometimes pulled at the gym to do squats with her. We were both laughing and it was the most natural and joyous I’d ever seen us. We looked like the perfect pair. Framed by the golden light of the sun setting. It was our love captured in such a way it struck me speechless.

“My picture day gift to you Hyun.” Jihyun was speaking and I could feel the press and hear the exclamations of all of our friends.

“Thank you.” There was a rawness to my voice I wasn’t used to. Struggling against such an overwhelming feeling of love from everyone. It was different then at the stage door with my fans. These people knew me, Hyun Ryu and they still cared about me this much. “All of you. Even you.” Conflicted when I glower at Jumin. His expression remains stone with the exception of the mildest twitch to his lips.

“Even I will admit that piece is aesthetically pleasing. Jihyun as usual created a masterpiece. Which was probably made easier by the fact the two of you are very obviously in love and seem to compliment one another.” The indifference in Jumin Han’s face made his words even better. If he could see that about Lea and myself when he was a robot who didn’t even understand the concept of romance it must be the most plain fact. It pleased me enough that I didn’t even feel the need to insult him.

“I appreciate that Jumin.” Struck, attention falling back on how perfect Jihyun had captured our love before I find my eyes returning to my princess who is also staring slightly starry eyed at the photo. “I appreciate all of you. I know you’re here because let’s face it I did act like a dumb shit earlier this week.” Voice rising, taking command of the room, scanning and meeting the face of each of my friends (and my family). “The truth is I need to grow up. I’m acting like a child. I want things a certain way, but that kind of life is not possible for me.” Unsurprised when I feel Lea’s hand latch onto the side of my shirt again. My steady support.

“None of us have a normal life, except maybe Yoosung. That’s probably why he can’t get a girlfriend?” Saeyoung chortles at his own quip as Yoosung’s voice immediately lifts in protest. Chuckling, I shrug sheepishly at the red head.

“I bet all of you have other plans today. Well, except maybe Yoosung.” Now the blonde’s face is turning crimson in annoyance.

“I came here to be nice. Why are all of you being assholes?” Reaching out I slap Yoosung’s shoulder good natured.

“Thank you everyone for caring enough about my princess and about me to share this morning with us and knock a little sense into my thick head. I belong here with every single one of you. You’re all an important part of our story. Even Saeran and Lumen.” Vulnerable, I’d gathered Lea against me, my hand in her hair. Relaxing as she settled her body into mine.

“When the RFA was formed it was to help disadvantaged people.” Heidi took the large portrait from Jihyun as he started speaking to settle it safely to the side. Fidgeting with nothing to hold, the cerulean haired man had something important to share but was still struggling with his memories. “I don’t think any of us realized what this group would come to mean to each other.”

“People I can depend on.” Jumin’s dry voice, laying a supportive hand on Jihyun’s shoulder as Heidi returned to encourage him.

“People we can love.” Heidi’s charming smile finally allowed Jihyun to breath fully again.

“People who teach us.” Biting his lip, Yoosung was already emotional and struggling to contain his own tears.

“People who understand us.” The quiet tone of Jaehee with a soft look of appreciation warmed the whole group.

“People who care.” Pushing her long hair behind her ear, Byeol reaches out gripping Saeyoung’s hand as he smiles at her.

“Support no matter what you’ve done.” Reflective, flush, Saeyoung swallows hard as Eunji presses a hand against his cheek on his other side.

“You always have someone who has your back.” Squeezing Saeyoung’s bicep, Eunji beams out at the group as there is a murmur of agreement from everyone.

“Forgiveness,” Having gathered himself Jihyun looked stronger. Watching the conviction in his face I could feel the power in his words.

“It’s given me a home.” My princess, her sentiment sending me spiraling into a whirlpool of love for her, because I knew I was the heart of where she belonged.

“You’re my family.” There was nothing else I could say, it was the most important feeling I had and I knew every single person standing here with me felt the same. The atmosphere was tender but quiet for a time. Kissing Lea’s temple I could see silent looks and touches shared between many of us.

“We still have all the food my chef prepared. Everything is exquisite, perhaps we should partake in some before we further examine the photography.” For once I didn’t see a reason to argue with Jumin Han. It was the right suggestion.

My life was destined to be a show. Regardless of what I do, it was who I was. Yet it wasn’t until this moment that I truly realized how lucky I am to be performing it with these people. This was only the first act and now I understood I wasn’t looking for my standing ovation but that one face in the crowd that tells me everything is as beautiful as I dreamed it would be. Arm wrapped around the shoulders of the woman I love with the people I admire we moved to celebrate. The picture perfect group of strangers that have become a tribe of friends.

My beautiful and darling Zen divider provided for ME by the truffle eating princess of a grumpy red haired man @luxielle

Tag list: @goddess-shattering-star @zennysgirlfriend @gureishi @agent-bee @rubylookingaround @geniously-hacked-bebop @my-love-is-eternal @welookateachotherandlaugh @dis-gorl-does-stuff @blossom-daze

[passable-talent]

You can absolutely drop this to the bottom of your priority list no problem, I get it, but if you ever have the time to write up a part 2 to that "kindness and energy, not anger and rage" Zuko fic with gn/fem reader that would be amazing.

and this isn’t dropped to the bottom of the priority list! At least, not in the way you think. so, I answer requests sequentially, which how that works is that I put each ask that I receive into my drafts in the order that I receive them. so the one I most recently got is always on the top of that page. However, I always answer the one at the bottom of the page. this means that yes, when you requested it it was at the bottom of the pile, but with every one I answer, it gets closer to the top, and with every one I receive, it gets further from the bottom. this is how I do it with all requests.

anyway! part two of this post

You stepped backwards from Zuko, taking a moment to steady your breathing and your stance. You brought your fists to your sides, just below your ribcage, and with an inhale let them lift with your chest before extending outward, palms open to the ground. As you breathed, you thought not of what you had to be angry about, but what you had to be happy about. You thought of all that you loved and wanted to protect, all of the good you wanted to do for the world.

You imagined making your father proud. You imagined fighting alongside the avatar, turning fire away from earth kingdom villages. You imagined keeping your friends safe, and possibly even becoming a hero. You let yourself dream of the things you might do, the lives you might save, and heat invaded your body. Pure energy, spreading from just below your collarbones, up to where it made your jaw tingle, down to where it warmed your fingers. You could feel your firebending like you never had before- but you couldn’t let yourself get too excited by it.

You took a decisive step forward, beginning the form that Aang and Zuko had practiced earlier in the day, your eyes still closed. You pictured your mother’s face, and how proud she’d been when you first presented as a bender.

As your left foot was forward, you punched with the right hand, your shoulders square to the front of you. You felt it- the unmistakable heat of flame, and opened your eyes to the sight of a fading plume of fire that was nearly eight feet in length.

“Keep going,” said Zuko, a firmness in his voice that reminded you not to break focus.

You closed your eyes again, picturing your father’s encouragement. His kind words as he told you to train, to practice your firebending, even if everyone told you that you didn’t have skill, that it didn’t matter.

You took a sweeping step forward, the ball of your foot forever lightly connected to the earth for stability but the step quick and strong, circling a fist downward from above your head as though blocking a strike away from your body. From the bottom of your fist spouted a thin, white hot flame, centralized into a dagger-like shape that, as you opened your eyes and stared in amazement, you thought might be able to cut through metal.

“More,” Zuko said, startling you into opening your fist and losing the flame. You nodded at him and resumed your stance, closing your eyes once again.

You conjured the images of the soldiers you’d fought alongside on the Day of Black Sun, who’d flashed you smiles and thanks as you deflected firebending from them. You pictured what you thought that the day of Sozin’s comet might look like, fighting beside Zuko and Aang with extraordinary power. You let yourself smile- as Zuko had guided you, and taught you, and it was working. You imagined the smile that he might have on his face as you finally begun to succeed.

You took your back most foot up, shifting your weight onto your front foot and bringing your arms into your chest as your drew your foot in a circle from the outside of the body inward, the arc reaching just about to your head before your heel slammed to the ground, an arc of fire following its path. The circle of flame expanded to three times its size before it dissipated, but it had managed to catch the leaves of a nearby tree on fire. And though the form had been beautiful, you caused destruction, and that soured your success. You hadn’t meant to burn a living thing.

Abandoning the need for praise, you turned from Zuko and went to the tree, straining upward with one hand toward the flame. You waited, focusing on the fire in front of you as it feasted on the tree, until you felt it, in your palm, even though it still burned ten feet above your head. And then you curled your fingers inward, smoldering the flame, and leaving the tree to live without too much burn in its leaves.

You smiled, as you had just used firebending to save the life and energy of the tree. And now, you thought, you could do the same for people.

“That was amazing,” Zuko said, which made you turn back to him, “I’ve never seen a firebender put out a fire before. How’d you do that?” You looked at him for a moment, then shrugged.

“I waited until I could feel the flame, and then put it out as though it were in my hand.” He looked at you, as though studying you, for a moment that your heartbeat promised you went on for far too long.

“Hm,” was all he said, before he lifted his chin slightly. “Try it again, and then go to bed. It’s late.” A small smirk painted your lips, and you followed his advice.

In the days leading up to Sozin’s Comet, everything seemed to go so wrong. Everything, it seemed, except your training- you were becoming a better firebender every day. If you focused hard enough, you found, you could concentrate a spike of flame which had a core so hot and confined that it glowed white, not yellow. You recognized it too dangerous to use, especially during Sozin’s Comet, but you joked that Zuko could use it to make tea if he ever needed to boil something very quickly.

Your role in the battle of Sozin’s Comet itself was one to be expected- you accompanied Zuko and Katara as they faced Azula. Though, you left them to face her themselves, and went through the city, patrolling to keep others out of danger and to contain the Agni Kai to the palace, and no further. You used your skill to put out flame quite often, keeping little firebending incidents from getting out of control under the influence of the comet.

You were six blocks away from the palace courtyard when you heard a crack of lightning. You turned to face the wall where you knew the courtyard was, where the Agni Kai was, where Zuko was, in time to see a bolt of lightning shoot off and into the sky.

You had heard of the ferocity of the royal family, who could conjure lightning. You knew of the raw power it took, and how deadly the skill was.

Whatever had just happened, it couldn’t have been good.

“No,” you whispered, ferocity in your tone, and you took off running toward the palace. Minutes passed as you ran, fear keeping you going, adrenaline. You couldn’t let your friends die alone, and you’d step in to fight if you needed to, to protect them from a lightning-wielding princess.

You got to the wall, and didn’t intend to bother with climbing it, so you jumped the best you could and punched downward with both fists, massive columns of flame leaving your fists to propel you upward. But your angle was off, and though you cleared the wall, it came with a bit too much of a forward roll, and you might’ve broken your neck upon landing if you hadn’t shot fire down at the ground again, landing with a somewhat graceful and slow roll as the fire cleared.

You straightened up, and saw Katara running toward Zuko, who was on the ground.

“No,” you whispered again, and even though you were tired and shaking, you sprinted across the courtyard.

“No,” came the word, repeated, from between your breaths, as though the mantra would save his life. You skidded to your knees beside Zuko, and as you had run much further, Katara had already reached him, and turned him over. You briefly saw the wound on his stomach before she covered it with her hands, and you covered your mouth with your fingers as tears welled up. It was clearly a blast wound- it wasn’t from fire, but from the much more sinister lightning.

Your eyes flicked to his face, his teeth gritted and eyes tightly closed from pain, and you waited as Katara did her best to heal him.

“Thank you, Katara,” he whispered, as the expression of pain faded from his face, and both she and you smiled.

“I think I’m the one that should be thanking you,” she said, and you rushed forward to hug him where he lay.

“Thank Agni you’re alright,” you said, your grip on his shoulders tight. You felt one hand of his rest on your back, and you helped him get up with Katara’s help.

“Zuko?” You asked, having seen the horror of Azula, descended into madness and grief.

“Hm?” He said, the word as specific as he wanted to be in such a solemn moment.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” you told him, your place at his side holding him up even more helpful to let you rest your head on his shoulder. It was more, really, than you’d ever touched him before, even as you walked back to the palace that he’d once called his home. He didn’t move to pull away.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he responded, and you helped him sit down on a low windowsill. You smiled, a melancholic smile, grateful but not insensitive to the partial loss that the day had been. You leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his forehead, just above where his left eyebrow had once been.

“Don’t die on me,” you whispered as you parted, meaning to leave him alone with Katara so that she could have another go at healing him. But he, with one hand, reached up to grab your shoulder and pull you back, his lips connecting with yours.

Everything that firebending was to you- the kindness, the energy, ferocity, protection, it was here, in this kiss. As though there was fire shared between the two of you, and as though the feelings of the flame itself were within you, passing between you. It took your breath away, and nearly took your balance, too.

“I won’t,” he whispered when your lips parted, “as long as you stay.”

-🦌 Roe

[elladescent449-artspace]

Resignation : It's time. She did so much and went nowhere. And when she finally did achieve something, it wasn't what she thought. It wasn't what she needed. So many people got hurt. People who didn't deserve it. So now... she's resigning.

Foot Recruit’s whole body strained under the weight. Her hands began to spasm and she released the stone on instinct, letting it fall back down the two inches she had yielded with a heavy thump. She let out a groan of frustration and tried again. Foot Recruit placed her palms on the side of the stone slab, using the friction of her hands to hoist it up enough for her to slip her hands beneath it. The gravel of the stone cut against her palms but she ignored it. With a strained cry she was able to pull it up to her knees. She could feel the veins in her neck popping out under the pressure, her knees shook under the weight, and then her hands began to cramp again. When the muscles from her pinky all the way to her forearm spasmed , Foot Recruit couldn’t control when her hands let go. She staggered backwards at the sudden release of the weight, tripping on her own feet and landing on her butt with a heavy thump.

She sat there for a moment, staring at the fallen piece of concrete before her. Foot Recruit stood suddenly, maybe she could punch through? She had crushed bricks in her hands plenty of times. Her fist hit the stone with a dull thud. She threw the next few punches rhythmically, her hands pounding against the solid surface like she had practiced in her early days of training. Not even a crack was forming, she gritted her teeth as she adjusted her stance. Why couldn’t she do this? Recruit increased the pressure of her breath, hitting harder. Why was she doing this? No cracks. She began uttering short shouts, her teachers had called them Kiai when she was younger, increasing the pressure even more, hitting harder and faster. Why was she ever a part of this?! A collage of imagery from the last few hours cycled in her mind and her blood boiled. With a strangled cry she threw her whole body into the punch, her fist hitting the stone with a crack.

Pain shot through her like a bullet. With heavy breaths she ripped her fist back, opening and closing her hand to try and numb the throbbing pain. She slowly brought her eyes back to the fallen stone. Only the corner, amounting to about three inches, crumbled away from the mass.

She screamed and cursed, kicking the corner of the stone with her foot as she cradled her fist in the other hand. Why couldn’t she do this? Why couldn't she do this?

A strained groan that wasn’t her own pulled her from her infuriated kicking. She staggered up the stone slab, falling to her knees at the hole.

“Comrades, hold on! i’m-” Recruit’s breath hitched as she tried to hide the stagger in her voice, “i’m close to getting you out!” The Lieutenant had already passed out, but his Brute second in command was still conscious. A pool of sweat, mixed into mud from the dust and gravel had pooled beneath his head. Foot Recruit could see his shoulders shaking from the momentous weight that he had been holding for hours now, attempting to keep it from crushing his and his comrades bodies.

He only nodded with a short gasp, he didn’t have enough strength to talk anymore.

Foot Recruit ran back down to a different side of the wall. Maybe it was the angle, if she could just get another angle she might be able to lift it up.

~~You can find my work on A03 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/30623072 or read under the cut for more. :)

She pulled it up again, slowly getting the slab back up to her knees and akingly brought it up higher than she had before. She cried under the weight as she got it up to her waist. Recruit could feel her bones rattle and her guts shake against the strain. It hurt. It hurt so much but they were her comrades, she had to do this but it was hurting so much. And then it became weightless.

She quickly adjusted to push the stone slab up and over, throwing it away from the pile. She turned to her right. The red turtle.

“I, uh…” he walked over to the next stone slab. “I saw you run off and I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.” With a gruff breath he hoisted it up, forcing it over to the side. His ninpo had long since faded away, leaving only his red wrapping and bandages around his hands and feet.

She doubted his sincerity, finding it more likely that she hadn’t run off to commit any crimes against humanity, but ultimately she said nothing. With the largest of the stone walls no longer obstructing the rubble she was able to begin removing some of the smaller stones that had piled up around. She spoke between gritted teeth as she pressed herself against a stone. “This,” she rolled away a stone the size of the red turtle, “is none of your concern.”

The turtle rolled away one of the shredded pieces from Draxum’s giant, “I figured you needed the help.”

“I don’t need your charity,” she snapped. She found a large piece lodged awkwardly in the rubble. A quick scan of the mess rewarded her with a jagged pipe that she was able to stab beneath the stone and roll it away. “I was doing perfectly fine!”

“Uh-huh,” he hefted up another large slab and set it on his shoulders, “hey! Come get your buddies out!”

She left her stone, running over to jump into the hole. She hadn’t expected for it to be cleared so quickly. She lifted the Lieutenant by the shoulders and urgently dragged him away from the rubble, he was like a ragdoll, limp as his head hung loosely. Recruit lowered her head to his face where short, labored breaths brushed against her ear. He was still alive.

The turtle trudged next to her with the brute leaning on his shoulder. “What’s the plan?”

“What?” Foot Recruit slipped her arms under the Lieutenant and lifted him up vertically against her chest as she stood. She took his wrist and slung his arm over her shoulder and leaned down to pull him farther over her shoulder. She straightened, holding his slung over wrist with her other hand that was over his leg.

“We’re taking these guys to a hospital or something, right?” The turtle had the brute on his back, holding his arms under his legs and leaning forward to keep the Brute from falling off.

“You need not concern yourself with the affairs of the Foot Clan!” Recruit begins to stomp off, the foot Lieutenant slung over her shoulder like a ragdoll, she only glanced behind her to make sure that the red turtle was still behind her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to carry the Lieutenant and his comrade by herself.

Foot Recruit knew of a Hidden City exit that would take them topside, she didn’t want to risk running into the police on one of the mainstream exits, she didn’t know if they knew about the foot’s affiliation with the shredder.

She traced along the side of an alley wall, glancing around the corner to see if there were any official looking people in uniform.

“So, uh…” the red turtle started, “my name is Raphael, my friends call me Raph.”

No police in sight. She darted from the alley to the next, repeating the procedure faster than before until they arrived at the end of the street. Raph followed close behind, moving almost as stealthy as her despite his bulky form.

She spun her head around quickly to make sure that they were still in the clear. The street was surprisingly empty. Even though it was night time, the yokai city was always bustling with activity. But now it seemed to be… abandoned.

Foot Recruit moved to take a step but was snatched by the back of her uniform and pulled into a shadow. An officer flew over them, quickly disappearing from view over the rooftops.

She batted his hand off with a huff and darted across the road.

She heard the turtle sigh behind her as he followed, “a thank you would be nice.”

“I saw him coming before you did, so thanks is unnecessary.” She slowed her pace when they stepped onto the bridge, bouncing the Lieutenant on her shoulders to improve her fireman carry.

“Right…” she could practically hear his eyes roll. “It was Cassandra, right?”

She snapped her head around to look at him, “don’t say that!” She nearly tripped over her own feet with how fast she turned her head. Foot Recruit quickened her pace into a jog.

Raph cocked an eyebrow, “what? Cassandra?” He kept up with her, and asked awkwardly with a matching smile, “would you rather me call you Casey?”

“No!” She ducks behind a dumpster just as a police balloon drifts gently above. “Do not say my name! Period!”

“Why?” He whispers, crouching besides her, “you said that was your name.”

“Shut up!” She follows the blimp in the sky. One of its riders held a speaker in their hand, the siren squeaked to life as they conveyed a message: “Citizens of Yokai City, please remain in your homes until further notice. This is not a test. At 9 pm this evening there was an attack on the city, please remain within your homes until further notice.” Foot Recruit cringed. Of course, no wonder the streets were empty.

Raph nudged her shoulder and pointed to a kiosk across the street. They darted across as the blimp riders turned their backs. “I’m just trying to make conversation,” Raph argued, she could sense a bit of annoyance in his tone, “you’re one of the Mad Dogz now, we’re friends-”

“Shut up, shut up!” She balls her hand into a fist and pouches the wall next to them as she turns.She points a finger into his chest, “I don’t know you, so don’t say my name!”

“But-”

“Why would I want to be part of your Mad Dogs clan, the Foot clan was able to succeed where you continued to fail. You idiots couldn’t even-” She cuts herself off with a choked noise. Raphael looks at her with an expression of hurt compassion as he gently places a hand on hers. She rips her hand away and turns, stomping off again as he follows close behind.

>With A lot of NYC in shambles and it being past sundown, topside is confused enough to let Raph drop off F.Brute off at the hospital entrance

She checked around the corner one more time before she approached a set of metal doors. With the Lieutenant still on her shoulders she fit her fingers between the crease. She strained, and it slid open a little in her grasp as she strained, but Raph’s wrapped green hand fit between the space she made, prying it open all the way almost effortlessly. She huffs again, leaving him to follow her as she enters.

A layer of dust rises under their feet as they enter the old shaft. Creaking wooden stairs filled with rot april above them, leading to a dim blue light above.

“This is the way you wanna go?” Raph steps out of the way of a steady water drip. He cranes his neck to look up, following the hazardous stairway with his eyes.

“Did you happen to bring your blue friends teleporting sword?”

“Don’t you know the Foot Clans teleporting spells.”

“I-” She grits her teeth. Foot clan members don’t learn magic until they reach the rank of Sergeant. The implications and reality of it all flooded her with a mix of emotions, too many for her to deal with right now. “Just follow my steps, and don’t fall behind!” She yelled with a snap before she darted up the stairs with her comrade in tow.

Her clan used this tunnel frequently, especially when they wanted to avoid the authorities of the yokai city who didn’t take kindly to the clan's activities. It was old, and at one point a decent construction shaft for New York’s industrialization, but once it had been claimed too hazardous for the humans work it was used as a more private route in and out the cities.

Recruit looked over her shoulder. The red turtle, or Raph, she remembered, was matching her pae perfectly, darting up the decaying steps with ease.

They reached the top of the shaft and exited into the open night air.

~~~

It was almost easy. With New York covered in rubble, and its residents confused as to how it got there, they were both able to walk right up to the hospital's E.R. doors.

Raphael gently placed the brute by the door. “I’m uh, gonna go now.”

“Thank you.” She mumbled. She saw the turtle smirk quietly just as he turned and jumped away, leaving her to enter the hospital alone.

It was easy to get her comrades admitted. She just told the frost desk that she had found her “uncles” under some broken piece of a random building (that pretty true) and they rushed the two of them away.

She waited for a bit, unsure whether or not she should follow. But after a few hours of pacing and sitting she just barged into the clinic.

It wasn’t hard to find them.

The room was dimly lit, every surface sickeningly white with tubes and unlit monitors decorating the walls. Brute was sitting up, his legs hanging off the bed as he leaned on his knees and facing his partner, he had a bandage around his head and a cast for his arm, but nothing else. Lieutenant wasn’t as lucky, laying almost flat against the bed with a neck brace and a brace on his leg.

Brute noticed her and turned to face her, “well look who it is! The General who pulled us out of the muck.” There was no maliciousness in his voice. He sat with a smile on his face, motioning toward her with his uninjured arm.

She stood stiffly by the curtains of their little corner. She wanted to grab it, and feel the materials between her fingers but she fought off the desire. She just… stood there for a moment, feeling like she was shrinking as the Brute watched her from his bed.

“Is something wrong?” The Lieutenant’s voice was ragged. He pried himself up on his elbows, looking her over carefully.

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again before closing her eyes. She gently, slowly, lowered herself to her knees and bowed. “It is with a heavy heart that I must-” Foot Recruit fought back a choke, “resign from my position as General of the Foot Clan.”

Brute was startled, taken aback and stealing a look at his partner who sat beside him. The Lieutenant was equally shocked, but cleared his throat to speak.

“General…” he paused before turning to his partner. With a whisper he asked, “general? When did that happen?”

Brute matched his whisper, “right before you blacked out, Shredder promoted her right before he ditched us.”

The Lieutenant's eyes looked side to side as he searched his brain. He mouthed ‘oh’ as the memory stuck him and he straightened. He slowly sat himself up completely, wincing in pain as he brought himself up to sit straight. He cleared his throat.

“General,” she hesitated to look up, quickly wiping away the tears that clouded her vision as she rose from her bow. “Are you certain of this choice?”

She furrowed her brows as the pain welled inside of her chest.

“You have been… a dedicated member to our cause for many years.” The Lieutenant held almost a sad look, maybe… regret? “Once you resign, by our laws, you will be banished from our group forever.” She knew this. Case knew this, because she had studied it tirelessly for more than a decade, ever since she was seven, ever since she had been accepted. “You will be denied from entering our grounds, stripped of all rights and titles, and dead to our clan.” He steeled himself, “are you certain of your choice.”

Her throat tightened. Recruit squeezed her eyes shut, allowing her hot tears to cut down her cheeks. She sucked in sharply with a pained gasp. “My sensei’s, I yield my title willingly and surrender my place in the Foot Clan.”

“As Lieutenant of the Foot Clan, I accept your resignation and strip you of all rights and titles,” he sighed before softening his voice, “and return your name.”

She bowed deeply once more before standing. “Thank you, Foot Lieutenant, I accept my name, Cassandra Jones.”

The Lieutenant sighed, and there is a moment of quiet as Casey fights back her tears. He looks towards his comrade before looking back to her. “Cool, but was that really necessary?”

Recruit- Casey looked up. “What?”

“Look, I get the whole rights and titles thing, but technically the Foot Clan has already been dissolved and abolished, since like… almost a year ago, right?” Lieutenant looked over to his companion.

Brute folded his arms and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, last November.”

“November, right,” the Lieutenant lowered himself back down to his bed. “We’ve never been too uptight about the rules, kid. No need to get so worked up.”

“This was my life.”

The Brute looked towards her again, and the Lieutenant lifted his head up to meet her gaze.

“This was my life!” She stomped, bringing her hands up to rub through her hair fuzz, “how can you just-” the words cut in her throat. She tightened her fists and rage boiled inside of her before she just screamed in frustration. “I gave everything, and did everything you asked. I was devoted, more devoted than Joselyn! I worked so hard!” Her voice was breaking, and she could feel the stares from the other residents of the clinic but she didn’t care.

“Kid, we’re in a hospital,” the Foot Brute yell-whispered at her, but he held a look of sympathy.

“We’ve already moved on,” the Lieutenant says sharply, silencing her. “I recommend you do the same.”

She wants to scream again, to stomp, to break a desk, to toss a bed (it didn’t matter if it was empty or not) or flip one of the hospital's cabinets. But she doesn’t. She opens her mouth to say something, she wants to do something to make them understand or for her to understand… but she doesn’t. Her voice is barely above a whisper. “I wish you a speedy recovery,” Cassandra’s voice wavers painfully, “and I wish you the best. Goodbye, my sensei’s.” And then she leaves.

She doesn’t register her walk home. She doesn’t register the air, or the people, or even her feet as steps over concrete. When Casey finds herself at the door to her apartment, she doesn’t remember how long she had been standing there, and it feels like it takes hours for her to slip her key into the lock.

She takes a Kunai from her back pocket, slowly tracing it down her arms and legs and throat, allowing the traditional Foot Clan uniform to fall in tatters around her feet. She practically rips away her toga and pants, throwing them to the side before stepping into the shower and turning it on its coldest setting.

[itsclydebitches]

A weird defence I've seen of RWBY's conflicts has been that it's good writing simply by the virtue that people can disagree on what's the right thing to do in said conflict. Which doesn't work when one decision is being presented as the only valid choice while every other option is either not addressed or demonized. This isn't a story leaving a nuanced set of stances to explore, it's a guy on stage signalling the crowd to boo whenever someone goes against the Protag's decision.

Real quick, I want to talk about RWBY by not talking about RWBY. I’ve seen this argument a lot too and the tl;dr is that just because your audience debates the right action in a conflict  — something that is inevitable given how subjective media is  — doesn’t mean the story encouraged that reflection in any way. As you say, RWBY pretends that those disagreements don’t exist and that This Is The One (1) Right Answer... which entirely defeats the purpose of a morally nuanced situation in the first place. That lack is bad writing because it demonstrates the author’s inability to provide an accurate picture of the conflict while still ensuring we come out of it liking the parties involved. The conflict was too complex for them to manage alongside equally complex characterization, so they just pretended it was far simpler than it actually was. That’s not something to praise. 

But to get to the not RWBY part. I’ve mentioned this a couple times before, but one of the scenes that I think manages these sorts of conflicts really well is the funeral fight in The Haunting of Hill House, episodes 6, “Two Storms.” So warning from here on out for spoilers. Sometimes, the best way to see what’s not working well in one show is to look at another show that does (basically) the same thing successfully and compare the two. 

Normally I’d include screenshots, but Netflix doesn’t allow that :/ So I’m forced to rely on bullet points. 

The basic premise is that the Crain family has assembled in daughter Shirley’s funeral home, the night before they bury their sister, Nell. A lot of secrets are about to come to light. 

The scene kicks off when their father, Hugh, relays the call he got from the housekeeper the night of Nell’s death. She had committed suicide in the family’s childhood home. 

Though everyone knew how she’d died, son Steven is distraught at hearing the details and reveals that a few weeks prior Nell crashed a book signing of his. This shocks the others given that this was very unusual behavior for Nell. 

Shirley likewise reveals that she got a call from Nell who’d been worried about their brother, Luke, but hadn’t spoken to her the night of her death. The implication is that no one did. They’ll never know what was going through her head the night she died. 

Hugh reveals that she did call him. “I talked to her.” 

Stunned by this news, his children demand to know what was discussed and Hugh is clearly reluctant to continue. However, he eventually says that Nell wasn’t just worried about Luke, but also the “Bent Neck Lady,” a specter from her childhood.

The viewer knows that ghosts are real in this show. The kids don’t. Or rather, they all experienced supernatural occurrences in their childhood, are still experiencing them now, but only some of them are willing to admit they’re real. Steven is the diehard skeptic of the bunch and starts yelling at his father, accusing him of aiding Nell’s delusions and ignoring a family history of mental illness. In particular, he declares that this “makes you culpable [in her death].” 

Steven continues to accuse Hugh of “holding back information” about Nell and Hugh shoots back that “If I held back anything it was to protect you kids.” The viewer understands Hugh’s dilemma: the only reason he keeps things to himself is because Steven and the others refuse to believe the truth, with an added dose of this supernatural stuff being very dangerous. Steven asks, “Why do I need protection from the truth?” 

Before their fight can go any further, Shirley tells Steven, “You might want to check yourself before you start talking about the truth.” He published an autobiographical book about their childhood trauma and notably capitalized on a supernatural angle he doesn’t believe in. Shirley calls it “blood money.” 

As the argument about the ethics of his book rages, Shirley defends herself primarily with how everyone else thinks this is “blood money” too. No one took a cut when Steven offered one, proving how despicable they all think it is. 

Meanwhile, sister Theo has been getting heat for being drunk (a coping mechanism for her own supernatural troubles) and Shirley eventually pushes her far enough that she admits she did take Steven’s money and used it to get her degree. “It’s good, fucking money.” Suddenly, Steven has someone in his corner and Shirley’s main defense has crumbled. 

Shirley is furious that Theo had this secret income but was still living with her and her husband. Theo reminds her that she offered to pay rent, but Shirley isn’t interested in hearing that. She demands that Theo move out immediately and uses this betrayal as the new way to protect herself. She’s the victim here. 

Steven, sensing another secret in the works, cautions Shirley to “get off your high horse before you fall off.” 

Shirley maintains her position until her husband blurts that they also took Steven’s money. Shirley hasn’t been running the funeral home well and they would have sunk without it. 

Despite being the punching bag for the second half of this fight, Shirley is offered both reassurance and dignity. Her husband emphasizes that the only reason they’re struggling is because Shirley is a good person. She does too much work pro bono. Shirley also delivers the line, “Do you have any idea how much you’ve humiliated me?” calling into question the husband’s choice to admit this now, purely as a way to prove her wrong. 

Shirley leaves to get some distance and discovers that someone — something — has put buttons over Nell’s eyes. The shock of this keeps the fight from continuing and, as plot intervenes, gives the characters the space needed to eventually start healing and forgiving one another, notably by sitting with the various truths they all now have to grapple with. 

Phew! A long summary, but I’ve put this much detail in to highlight the nuance of the scene. Obviously RWBY would differ in many ways  — less cursing, for one  — but the core elements of any morally complex scene should be the same. The important takeaways here are that no one in the Crain family are “pure” or “evil” and everyone gets their chance to be both right and wrong. Hugh is right that Steven won’t listen to him and wrong in that he didn’t do enough to help his kids. We get Steven and Hugh’s frustration, their understanding of the world at odds with one another. Steven is wrong to put everything on his father and justified in starting his writing career with their story. We watch the scene move from “Steven is Wrong and everyone agrees” to “Oh shit nm, more and more of the family are revealing that they benefited from his money, complicating how “wrong” he actually is.” Shirley is right to point out that Theo is getting drunk during their sister’s funeral and Theo is right to point out that being drunk doesn’t erase having a good point. Theo is allowed to scream at the group and then immediately be offered help when she falls. Shirley pretends she’s better than all of them and is slowly, horrifyingly proven wrong, but is then still extended compassion and is allowed to point out how horribly they’ve just treated her. The husband is right about the money, wrong about keeping it a secret/revealing it the way he did, right in how he tries to diffuse the other fights, and VERY wrong by getting caught kissing Theo down in the storeroom! 

The scene twists and turns in a way that highlights everyone’s points and their flaws, the moments when their perspective should be upheld and questioned. The end result is a scene that has space for the audience to debate everyone’s choices without imposing the single view of This Person Is Obviously Wrong/Right and If You Think Otherwise You’re Not Watching The Show Correctly. The show itself acknowledges the complexity and nuance of these problems. It asks, “Hugh should have tried harder, but what more can he do when his kids literally don’t believe this stuff exists? Was Steven really justified in writing a book about their collective experiences? What does it mean that something his family sees as capitalizing on their trauma also helped them keep businesses and schooling afloat? Was it okay for Shirley’s husband to keep that money a secret, even if it helped them? How might he have told her in a less cruel manner? What about Shirley’s life has led to her intense need to be on that ‘high horse’?” 

And of course: “Who is really responsible for Nell’s death?” By this point the viewer already knows that there is no “really” here. This is too complicated a tragedy to lay the blame at any one person’s feet. Everyone in this room has moments of justified accusations and moments of chastisement because they’re well written, well rounded characters who are neither saints nor devils. The length of the scene (done in a single shot!) emphasizes that if you just wait long enough, even the most perfect looking person will eventually have a skeleton pulled from their closet. No one is above mistakes. 

RWBY has NONE of that. Zip. Nada. Nothing. RWBY gave us a scenario with many of the same, core themes  — secret keeping, secrets unwillingly revealed, blaming others for your mistakes, hurtful actions with helpful consequences, questioning who is responsible for a tragic death  — and instead of even attempting to give us some of the above nuance, RWBY said only that Ruby was right, Ozpin was wrong, and demanding that the audience ignore the nuance they could already see in order to accept the canon. 

RWBY’s scene asks the audience to play dumb and look at the world as a Black and White place, despite the show simultaneously insisting that “the world isn’t a fairy tale” and is, in fact, filled with shades of gray. 

Just not any shades of gray that mess with that dichotomy that now drives the story.  

That’s not good writing. It’s oblivious and contradictory writing that makes the audience frustrated. Not satisfied, surprised, contemplative, or curious. Just frustrated. 

[penrose-quinn]

Musubi [Preview] | Suguru Geto/F!Reader

posted: 04.02.21 | full: [Ao3]

word count: 2.2K 

content tags: pre-hidden inventory arc. can be read as an excerpt.

tw: slight mentions of blood.

a/n: i haven’t written a fight scene in such a long time so apologies for the rusty writing. as for the full one-shot itself, i can’t give a date yet but i hope ya’ll can settle for this. enjoy the laughs for now! *cries in the corner*  

First impressions were always drawn by an encounter, and tied tautly between bravado and cutthroat competition in the annual Kyoto Goodwill Event, the curious color of the string tugged out of Geto running into you was one of interest.

Strategically speaking, it made sense in any fight.

However, a downside to this was that they were inevitably a precursor for nasty introductions when names were traded like bruises and conversations for combat tactics. 

Openings made for a good invitation for a counter, but Geto was quick to parry them with a looming many-limbed pillar of a curse that walled between the both of you with a screech; jolting back the memory and taste of sickness. A spirit of obsession.

Deformed hands, riddled with watchful eyes, reached for you, fixating in your every movement to resist them. You were fast, he’d give you that, but you were paired against a curse that was built from vile adamance. In short, a pain in the ass. Capturing it was, undoubtedly, and now, offered leverage to him when it made things a little simpler and interesting to watch from afar.  

Attention to stances and a razor-sharp interest in the opponent; they were all inevitable, after all.

The moment your strings began to unravel from the pads of your fingers.

They were something to look out for when seemingly anything with cursed energy were bound to be entangled by the subtle manipulation of your hands, and in a span of a minute, the curse was left dangling and viciously writhing in suspension, held fast on the tough bark of oak trees like a fly to an intricate web.

“A Grade Two.” You gawked at it, giving in to a low whistle. “Cool.”

“Can’t believe you ate it up, though,” you said, hinting on that you already knew about his cursed technique. “Did you have to hack it up to pieces?”

Then you made a hand sign – two fingers pressed together – and with a smooth motion, your wrist rotating in an arc, the strings tied to the curse tightened, almost twisting its body for good measure. Or to flaunt. The two never seemed to be far from each other from what Geto observed from you. Typical senior behavior.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Geto said anyway, but unwilling to elaborate further.

From your distance, you peered back at him. “Not the chatty type like Six Eyes, eh?”

But he had a feeling you were.

“I’m afraid not.”

“You’re not gonna show your cards then?” you asked, perhaps alluding to a binding vow.

Geto was uncertain with what you’re trying to get out of this. Cautious as he was, he knew better than to play along, though something about your blatant drawl made him realize how he’d been curious enough to take the risk, mirroring that lazy confidence that curled up your peach-stained lips.

“Not going to show yours, senpai?”

There was a flicker of challenge in your eyes that appeared to make them brighter, like a glint of a knife. However, for whatever reason, you downplay it with a halfhearted shrug. “I’ll be honest,” and in a low amused voice, humoring him, “kouhai.”

The corners of his mouth bent into a slight smirk.

“I’m not really in the mood to help out anyone. Hell, I don’t even care if your school wins,” you admitted, pausing for a moment to listen in to the devastation of some uncharted area of the school grounds. Satoru. “See? We’re on the receiving end anyway.”

“Fair point,” Geto said with a nod. Though he kept the sentiment to himself, he would argue that you should have at least made an effort to appear concerned for your team.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to back out from this fight either. That’d be no fun. So how about it?” you offered. “Want to try something?”

Geto did contemplate on it—you. What your whole angle was about, why you went about it in such a roundabout way. Perhaps, the Kansai dialect had a hand in it when your manner of talking turned your inflections more offhanded and overfamiliar. Though he couldn’t deny that he caught on that you sounded more cryptic in comparison to his friend’s open, rather crude bluntness.

Something about your exchanges were like that, full of traps and layers, and as tired and eye-rolling as they were on another person, Geto wasn’t annoyed of you. Rather, he was keen in pursuing answers himself. What kind, he wasn’t sure yet. You had a way of making things interesting, and drawn by the pang of something like inquisitiveness and hunger, he arrived to a decision. “What do you have in mind?”

“Great! That settles it then,” you grinned, clapping your hands together. Another hand sign. “I’m setting your curse free.”

Once the strings began unwinding from the many-limbed curse, Geto felt a tremor from his gut; body apprehensive and prepared to strike.  

Then it all came crashing down with a wink and a red and gold knot forming between your fingers, untwisting it with one decisive pull.

“Unbind.”

It was a sharp breathless feeling.

A sudden relief, followed by a sense of loss. A kind of detachment, brief but deeply harrowing like losing a limb to a cleave, losing the weight of it all at once, where the curse tethered to him had been released, his control slipping, senses disoriented. Severed. It wasn’t bound to his will anymore.  

Resentful in its newfound freedom, the many-limbed curse lunged at him to attack, hands spread out and reaching, eyes crimson and pulsing wide when it set its sights on him.

Snapping out of his stupor, Geto was quick to react with a bolt. Shadow and silhouette bloomed under the ground by a summon, and what stretched forth was his massive hookworm curse, mouth gaping open to devour the Grade Two, and now, snapping shut for the kill before disappearing entirely from his bidding.

Geto would have rather reserved the curse for later, but he won’t gamble losing another one to your technique.

“Personally, I think we’re a bad match,” you mused aloud.

Then your strings whipped at him in a lightning second. Evading them, Geto leapt back and landed aptly on his feet.  

“Especially when I can bind and unbind things with my inherited technique. Seals, shikigami, curses … hm, I suppose yours is an interesting case,” you stared at him thoughtfully before shrugging. “But it’s a kind of attachment either way.”

“Now you’re showing your cards,” Geto hissed out a breath, running through a new game plan.

“Sure, why not.” Your mouth broke into an easy grin. “Keeps the ball rolling, you know?”

There was a cool refinedness in your stance, feet anchored to the ground while your hands were doing all the fighting: flexed out, full of precise flourishes albeit strained, with strings unspooling from your deft fingers. The distance worked to your advantage, though closing it between the both of you was jumping headfirst into a trap in itself.

Geto surmised. But—

“I’d rather end this sooner.”

Mind set and carried by a surge of adrenaline, Geto sprinted towards you, dodging each assault for a closer range, until your strings finally coiled around his wrist, and in reaction, he tugged at it in a vice-grip with a strong pull; drawing out a look of shock from you, and then an eager anticipation. Your body shifted into a steady position, ready and waiting, arms posed for a counterattack.

Geto kept on his pace, charging at you with a wave of his free hand; darkness unfurling and taking shape of a half-formed spirit. Eyes wary of another summoned curse, you took the bait when you made another motion with your other hand, and he took it as a sign of withdrawing the curse back and kicking dust on your face, temporarily blinding you. The strings loosened on him. You recoiled.

When your guard was lowered, Geto seized the chance to swing his foot up at you; a swift kick to your forearm, minutely braced into a block to offset the full brunt of it, but it was powerful enough to send you skidding back your heels.

“Cheat,” you spat, cracking one vigilant eye on him.

Stubborn and quick to recover, you pulled at your strings to reel him in for a mean right hook, knuckles meeting his face. He was able to buffer the blow with his cursed energy, though the hit still landed, hard and fast.

“We’re even.” Geto winced from the bruise on his jaw. Your fist was imbued with cursed energy too, and now, was hurtling back at him with a ferocious amount of force. He side-stepped, dodging the hit that smashed against the tough bark of a tree, splintering it from the impact, and as you were about yank your arm back, he finally found his opening.  

All it took was a faulty step; a split-second of being swept by the heel, knocking you off your momentum as you fell back to the tree, ensuring his victory through a newly summoned amorphous curse restraining your hands and feet.

Geto lunged forward. His fist hurtled down at you, mere inches from your face, until he felt something taut restrain his wrist and his wide eyes followed the cord curled around your two fingers, protruding out of the oozing wound of the curse grappling your hands.

Leaning back, you let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay, kouhai! I forfeit.”

Geto stopped to think for a moment, and testing the string latched onto him with a careful tug, he cocked his head at you to ask. Just in case. “You sure?”

“Yes.” You rolled your eyes at him, blowing a strand of hair from your cheek. A faint waft of mint. “Unlike you, I can’t get my face bruised.”

It was only a fraction, but the insouciance of your smile cracked a little from the edges. More brittle and thinner, from whatever sentiment you hid between your lips. Regardless, he sensed no insincerity from your words.

It was his turn to sigh.

“All right.”

Once the string disentangled from his wrist, Geto stepped back from you, drawing in a raspy breath, as he held himself upright, still tense and arduous from the heat of the fight. He felt heavy from the sweat, dull ache, and spent adrenaline straining on his shoulders, the backs of his legs, everything. He wouldn’t have to undergo through this ordeal if he could only use his cursed technique against you.

“You’re right,” he admitted, tugging at his collar. “We’re really a bad match.”

“Told you,” you crooned.

A set-up? Geto considered it, recalling how they were separated in the fray with the other team; Gojo getting sidetracked at some point and you luring him here with your strings. “Was that intentional?”

“Everyone was counting on it,” you answered, wrenching out your hands from the curse in a violent splatter. “But honestly? The whole plan doesn’t matter in the end. We’re still worse off. And I’m no one’s backup either.”

Noticing his stunned reaction, you amusedly held out your open bloody palm at him. A gesture of reassurance. “Don’t sweat it. This is still your win.”

While Geto was still wary around you, he eased a little from your words. He nodded.

“If that’s the case, why did you go along with the plan?”

“Didn’t want to pass up something,” you said vaguely, looking back at him before tearing off the other curse clinging on your feet, cringing at the sight of gore on your shoes once it was split open by your fingers. “These things aren’t cute at all.”

“You could’ve been more careful with them,” Geto pointed out.

“Gotta get back at you somehow. They have teeth, you know.”

Which you nonchalantly ripped apart with your bare hands.

Before you could wipe off the blood on your hand to your skirt, Geto still went out of his way to give you his handkerchief for the mess, which you stared at for five agonizing seconds before accepting it with a mutter of thanks.

You began to clean your knuckles, bunching up the fabric on your palm. “Well, this is ruined.”

“Not really planning on getting it back,” said Geto, flipping up his phone. He received a photo of Gojo with some members of the other team, ragged and beaten shitless, followed by a text that went somewhere along the lines of everyone being so weak and a demand as to why he was taking so long.

“Geto-san.”

Geto snuck a glance back at you from his phone.

“You’re pretty strong for a first year.“ You hummed in thought and he listened more intently. "Ah, but that’s expected. Judging from the rumors circling around, I suspected you lot from Tokyo Tech were either a piece of work or something else.”

“Something.” Geto smiled.

“Cheeky.”

“Speak for yourself.”

Geto was going to reply back to Gojo until you chuckled, light and airy, drawing his attention back at you.

“Oh, and another thing,” you said, and for a moment, beneath the long spidery lashes, there was a quiet profoundness to your eyes that made a glance blur between an appraisal and a clarity one could find from a thin thread of interest, tugged up by a wry tilt of your lips.

“What kind of woman is your type?”

a/n: . . . that last line is so cursed. i wish todou was the one who asked. for context, reader is one of yuki’s students.

↣ side note: i thought satosugu were already both classified as special grades upon their enrolment like yuuta, but i didn’t realize later on that they were only promoted as special grades after the spv mission. i won't be rewriting this and will be keeping it as it is, but apologies for getting those details wrong!

↣ side note: nvm. i caved. [revised: 04/17/21]

[letitrainathousandflames]

Badass Tup Week

Prompt I - Swordfighting Tup

Sword-yielding Jedi. As if this war couldn’t get any weirder.

In this strange planet where the 501st had been laying siege for nearly a month now, nothing powered by laser or kyber could function. That had forced both clones and Jedi to change their fighting styles. A lot.

Rex had given them a quick course on how to use the newly provided weapons – fire-powered weapons. Actual slugthrowers, in this case modified cycle rifles. The entire troop was having issues with the weapons, too difficult to reload between rounds and their recoil about five times heavier than a blaster’s. Two of the men had nearly dislocated their shoulders by now, and the men’s hits were far outnumbered by their missed shots.

The atmosphere, too, couldn’t be cycled through the filters, so they were all fighting without their helmets, which made them easy targets for headshots from the enemies’ side.

“-sick of this kriffing thing!” Fives cursed between gritted teeth as the enemy soldiers advanced, not droids but human soldiers clearly used to using swords for close combat and slugthrowers for shooting; the ARC trooper shoved a new magazine into the empty weapon, failing twice before managing to pull the safety to keep firing “Tup, they’re closing in on Rex and the General, we need to cover them!”

“On it!” Tup nodded, following Fives towards their commanding officers

It all happened so fast. A round, silver ball fell right in front of them glistening under the sun as a red light on it blinked faster and faster, and Tup only had time to grab Fives by the neck of his back plate, pulling him away from the blast.

Despite the spongy earplugs shoved in his ears, they deafening blast echoed like thunder, Tup’s ears still ringing as he shoved Fives on his back on the sand, assessing the damage. The armor was slightly blackened wish ash, but didn’t seem cracked at any vital point. Fives’ face, too, was only darkened, reddened by the heat, but unharmed.

“Sir, are you-”

“I’m fine!” Fives gritted out, shoving Tup at his chest “Go get the General!” and upon his hesitation he repeated himself “Go! Kix will come for us with reinforcement, I’ll be fine! Get the General!”

With one last tense look at Fives, Tup turned back and continued to run. His best friend had nearly died right in front of him… What if the next bomb gets him instead?... No, focus! Keep your head in the battle!

He hears the dry noise of another bomb being shot out of a launcher. And then, a couple of clicks right in front of him he sees the charge land right next to Rex and Skywalker. Rex screams something Tup can’t quite make in the loud gunfire – so much louder than blasters – and Skywalker tries to push the bomb away with the Force…

The thing goes off long before he can manage to get them both in the clear, and Tup curls himself into a ball to make himself a smaller target while trying to make anything out of the sudden wall of sand that the blast had sent flying up in the air. Squinting and blinking away at the sand, he can make out two shadows: Skywalker, lying still on the ground and Rex kneeling close to him, ready to shoot any approaching enemies.

As the sand slowly settles down, he hears a voice booming close to them from the enemy lines.

“There’s only one clone guarding the general, hold your fire for your repetition slugthrowers to cool down and kill them before their reinforcements arrive!”

The joy of knowing they wouldn’t be shot at for a while was quickly deflated as Tup heard the noise of swords being drawn from their hilts. The sand had settled and Rex is facing the enemies that drew a semicircle around them; there was ferocity in the captain’s eyes as he cocked the slughthrower in his hand, shooting the nearest one which collapsed lifeless on the ground.

“If you think I’ll go down without a fight, you got another thing coming, separatist!” he barked, aiming at another soldier

“You don’t have enough slugs for all of us, clone!” the soldier sneered, still advancing

Tup stayed completely still, partially covered in the sand and perfectly disguised with the light brown camouflage of his armor. They had only counted one clone. They had no idea he was right next to them. A soldier approached Rex still, sword pointed forward and slightly low. His boot dragged along the sand with his steps until it bumped against Tup’s shin.

“What the…?”

Tup knew he had to be fast. Good thing he had always enjoyed sparring back in the academy. He quickly sprung to action, raising a leg and kicking the soldier as hard as he could right at the side of his knee from the inside. There was little the other’s armor could do against an attack from that angle, and Tup heard the distinct noise of something breaking before the soldier tumbled down with a scream.

“Rex, I’m here!” Tup bellowed, jumping to his feet to then grab at the soldier wrist, to try and wrench the sword out of his grip

The soldier sneered, reaching up to grab at Tup’s hair, the hair tie snapping in the struggle and Tup’s long hair cascading down in a mess of dark coils. Once Tup managed to take the sword, he hit the soldier’s face with the grip, drawing blood out of his nose and ceasing his struggle.

Rex took the sudden confusion of the enemy soldiers to fire another shot, then another, taking more and more of them down. Meanwhile, Tup got a good grip on the sword and pierced it down on the soldier’s back at his heart’s height. The man let out a garbled noise, going limp, and Tup pulled the blood-stained blade back, parrying the nearest enemy’s attack just in time.

“How’s the general?!” Tup screamed, shoving the enemy away with a kick to his stomach, taking a few cautious steps back closer to Rex as he hastily combed his hair back with his fingers, sword still at the ready

“Unconscious!” Rex replied, getting up to his feet and continuing to fire, every shot punctuated with a pained grunt at the weapon’s recoil “We need to stand our ground before reinforcements arrive! How’s Fives?!”

“Nearly got blasted but he is angrier than he is injured.” Rex’s laugh at Tup’s response was cut by a curse at the weapon. The kriffing thing was jammed. “Don’t worry, I’ll cover you. Their firearms are overheated.”

Rex gritted his thanks, quickly pulling the magazine out and jamming it back in, trying to get the damn thing to slide all the way in. The wind shifted the sand, Tup’s hair swaying lightly with it. Tup slid a foot forward, eyes fixated at every enemy in front of him as he held up his sword in a defensive stance, baring his teeth and letting out a low growl.

“Let me show you what ‘only one clone’ can do, you separatist scum.”

-

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